“Oh look, more doors…”
I reached up on my tiptoes to open yet another door, and this time, when I stepped through, I found myself in not another corridor but a room. This was the first time any of the doors had led to an actual room!
Unfortunately, the room was stark and sparsely furnished, containing only a bookshelf, a small writing desk, and a comfortable-looking lounge chair.
The real problem, though, was…
In addition to the door I’d entered, two more doors were in this room—one directly in front of me and one on my right.
Hmm. It seems easiest to go with the door in front of me first.
I opened the door and stepped into yet another hallway. The door on the right was a dead-end, and the door to the left just led to more doors.
Is this some kind of labyrinth?
I opened one of the doors and stepped into a room best described as untidy. Books and newspapers were scattered everywhere, and what appeared to be some kind of magic circle was drawn on the top of the desk. There were also several rocks that I thought might be magical stones, as well as a multitude of magical items that I couldn’t even begin to guess their uses.
Hmm, was someone conducting some kind of magical research here?
This room only contained one additional door to the right of where I’d entered. I opened it and stepped into another corridor with two doors at the far end.
This is like the kind of labyrinth mansion you’d find in a video game!
Next was another corridor, followed by another room. This room at least changed things up a bit by containing a large bed. And more doors, of course.
This is getting really annoying…
Should I keep going or return to the first room I discovered and try the door on the right? Turning back now seems more difficult than pressing on, so I’ll keep going!
“Huh?!”
Behind the next door was a person.
I was so startled that I reflexively slammed the door shut.
Oh my God! I thought my heart was going to explode! I wasn’t expecting there to be another person in here!
The door I’d closed slowly swung open.
“You surprised me. What is a child doing in a place like this?”
The person who stepped through the door was a handsome young man. He was in fine clothing, so I assumed he was an aristocrat. I couldn’t quite place it, but I got the feeling I’d seen him somewhere before. I didn’t know what he was doing here, but maybe he’d come to request an audience with the king.
“I was exploring, but it looks like I got a little lost…”
I didn’t know who he was, but I would be very grateful if this young man could lead me back to someplace I was familiar with.
“…Only certain people can enter this place. Who exactly are you?”
If it’s a matter of authorization, I should be okay since the king gave me an all-access pass to the royal palace… Unless he means there’s a spell cast on this section of the palace to keep outsiders from entering? Does the all-access pass from the king somehow have the power to circumvent such spells?
“I am Dayland Osphe’s youngest daughter, Nefertima!”
Everyone in the royal palace knew of the Osphe family. With that in mind, I told the man my name, hoping he’d recognize me.
“Osphe, you say?!”
Our family possessed a heavy dose of royal blood, and the Osphe family name was well known as belonging to one of the top ducal houses in the kingdom, but was it really something to be so surprised about?
“In that case, you must know Rhydelt?”
Huh? I’m sure I’ve heard that name before…
I was searching my memory, trying to figure out where I’d heard of Rhydelt before, and it came to me the moment I turned to look at the young man in front of me again.
At the same time, I realized why he seemed so familiar. He had amethyst eyes, just like someone else I knew…
“Rhydelt was our family’s progenitor…”
“Progenitor?”
“That’s right, the founder of our family line.”
Rhydelt Osphe. As the first prime minister of the Kingdom of Gaché, he’d spent his entire life loyally serving as the former soldier-turned-first-king Gee’s right-hand man.
“I suppose Rhy was the first to call himself by the name ‘Osphe.’ I was the one who gave him that name, you know.”
…Huh?! What is he saying?!!
“Could you possibly be… Gee Russ Gaché?”
“Yup, that’s me. What of it?”
What is the first king doing here? GOD! You did something weird again, didn’t you?!
“Nefertima, you said your name was? In any case, come with me.”
While I was still too dumbfounded to respond, Gee scooped me up in his arms without asking permission.
One thing’s for sure: he’s certainly Will’s ancestor.
Gee’s room was utilitarian. In other words, it was small and hardly had anything in it. There was a bed, a bedside table, and a bookcase. That was all. I wouldn’t go as far as to say it was as small as a walk-in closet, but certainly no bigger than a child’s bedroom. If a TV were on the wall, I would’ve said it looked like a studio apartment.
“So, Nefertima, what is your relation to Rhy?”
I’m not sure whether I should tell him the truth or not…
“Well, the truth is… I’m the daughter of the eleventh-generation patriarch of the Osphe family. I’m pretty sure you and I are from times nearly four ages apart.”
Four ages is roughly 400 years, right?
When he heard this, far from being shocked and suspicious, Gee actually seemed to believe what I was saying because he heaved a huge sigh.
“So this is the God of Creation’s doing, is it? I suppose that means you’re also a beloved child, then?”
“A beloved child?”
“If you don’t know what I’m talking about, then don’t worry about it.”
It’s almost impossible to simply “not worry about it” once you’ve brought the topic up!
Sensing that I was frustrated he wouldn’t explain it to me, Gee chuckled and stroked the top of my head.
“In this world, there are many things that you’re better off not knowing or that you’ll find out naturally when the time is right.”
Hmph. So he’s saying I don’t need to know yet, but I’ll find out eventually? That doesn’t do anything to alleviate this itching curiosity I’m facing right now, though!
“What should I do if I just can’t wait?”
“When you get home, you can ask the fire dragon. You’re bonded with the fire dragon of the north, right?” Gee said, gesturing to my bunny backpack.
Oh, that’s right. I bet Sol knows what a “beloved child” is!
“Now then, we don’t know how long you’ll be here, but if you want to do anything while you’re here, now’s your chance.”
If I don’t get back to my own time, I won’t be able to fulfill my promise to God, so I’d very much like to avoid being stuck here! But while I’m here, there is one thing I want to do…
“I want to meet Roy!”
“Roy?”
He’s the most legendary beast mount in the history of our country! Not to mention he’s a rhinoceros—a species even I haven’t been able to pet! The rhinoceroses at the beast stables kept their distance, but if I’m with Roy’s master, maybe there’s a chance he’ll allow me to touch him?
I explained to Gee that in my time, rhinoceroses were a symbol of the Beast Knights Legion and that they were the only animal the legion commander, who I was close friends with, wouldn’t allow me to pet.
“I see… So people in your time remember Roy as some kind of amazing beast mount?” Gee seemed happy to hear that. I supposed that made sense. Who wouldn’t be happy to hear that everyone loved their partner?
“Okay! Then let’s go!”
Gee carried me through the halls towards our destination, and I couldn’t help but wonder if this was really the same palace. Everything looked completely different.
“Nefertima, look outside.”
Because we were currently on one of the higher levels of the palace, we had a clear view of the city spread out below.
However, this was not the Royal City that I knew.
Even calling it a “town” was generous. It was a lonely cluster of buildings containing hardly any homes.
“All the land around here has been wrung dry of all resources. That’s why most of the citizens have fled to the Linus Empire. A country abandoned by its citizens is doomed to fall to ruin, but I couldn’t just sit by and watch that happen. I couldn’t bear to watch the homeland where I was born and raised disappear forever.”
I got the feeling that Gee had lost something very precious to him. Perhaps he had chosen to fight because he hated to lose anything else.
“Has the fighting ended?” I asked.
“Small clashes are still happening in some areas, but I’m confident those will end soon, too. The Linus Empire have taken it upon themselves to become my rear guard.”
The neighboring country, the Linus Empire, encompassed nearly half the entire landmass of the continent of Larshia. They also possessed an impressive military force capable of keeping order in such a large country. Even at this time, the Linus Empire was undoubtedly a formidable mega-country.
But the Kingdom of Gaché will grow into an impressive country as well, just you wait!
As we walked through the royal palace, I couldn’t help but notice all the differences from my own time.
First things first, those super detailed pillars and the inner courtyard with the hedge maze didn’t exist yet.
There were also significantly fewer servants.
It says something that the king himself can stroll around the palace and not encounter a single person!
Apparently, I looked puzzled because Gee answered my unasked question.
“This palace is still in the process of being built. I asked them to focus on making it look nice from the outside first.”