“Yes.” Prince Reichardt stepped forward. Papers in hand, he fixed his gaze on us. “Like His Majesty, I wish to confirm your honeymoon plans—although I would like to go into a little more detail.”
As far as I knew, we’d already shared the details of our route with His Highness. What more was there to know?
“Osvalt, if these details are correct, your itinerary chiefly involves touring our country’s ruins. Is that right?”
“Yeah. Philia wanted to start by learning about our ancient history.”
There were plenty of ruins to visit in Parnacorta, as well as numerous historical structures. I’d asked to visit several archeological sites.
“Understood. Visiting the ruins will not be an issue. I just wanted to confirm. The same goes with the Delon dojo.”
“I-in that case, your issue must lie with…”
“Exactly. It seems you plan to enter the vicinity of the Volcanic Miasma Zone. I want you to explain your motives for travelling there. If possible, I’d like to hear it directly from Miss Philia.”
Prince Reichardt shifted his gaze from Sir Osvalt to me.
So that was what His Highness was so worried about.
“The Volcanic Miasma Zone is plagued by constant explosions that make it too dangerous to enter. The truth is, I’m hoping to find a way to put a stop to them.”
“What?! A way of stopping the explosions, you say?” Prince Reichardt seemed alarmed, but he quickly pulled himself together.
“That’s right. When I was there, I was struck by an explosion myself—which led me to discover what was causing them.”
“I can hardly believe it. If anyone could find a solution, Philia, it would be you, but even so…”
If I could stop the explosions, harvesting Moontear Flowers from the area would be simple. No one had yet developed a promising method of cultivating them, and I had very few specimens to study. Ever since I managed to harvest a few flowers from the Volcanic Miasma Zone, I’d been wondering if I could find a way to make the area safe to explore.
“I was surprised when Philia told me her plans, too,” said Sir Osvalt. “Naturally, we won’t set foot inside the area with active explosions, so we’ll be fine.”
“I understand your reasoning. Still, I can’t fathom why you’d send Lady Philia on such a mission on your honeymoon, even if you’ll have time to rest and recover on your return.”
“You’ve got it all wrong, brother. We’re going there to satisfy Philia’s intellectual curiosity. She’s not just doing it for the benefit of our country and other people, but as a hobby she enjoys.”
Sir Osvalt understood me better than I understood myself. When Lena had asked me what my hobbies were in the past, I’d struggled to come up with an answer. These days, though, I’d grown comfortable with referring to research and development as my hobbies. Sir Osvalt made me feel content with the person I was.
“I see. This all falls under the scope of Miss Philia’s interests. I’m not sure you can call research that benefits the whole nation—indeed, the whole continent—a ‘hobby’, but it certainly aligns with my impression of you, Miss Philia.”
Prince Reichardt seemed convinced. He took another look at his papers before turning to face us. “Your Majesty, I have nothing further to add.”
“Very well.” His Majesty gave Prince Reichardt a nod before addressing us. “Now then, Osvalt and Lady Philia. Do either of you have anything you wish to share?”
I felt hesitant to waste the king’s time, but… “Forgive me, but may I pose just one question?”
“There’s no need to be so formal, Lady Philia. Your words are worth their weight in gold.”
“I am honored to hear that from you, Your Majesty.”
Having obtained the king’s permission, I reached into my bag and took out a bracelet. I handed it to Prince Reichardt.
“Is this…a magic tool, Philia?”
“Yes. I made this bracelet to allow Lena and my other attendants to communicate with me, even when my duties as a saint separate us. It emits magical wavelengths to allow us to converse with one another, and—”
“Yes, I remember. You used a tool like this when you were kidnapped by Asmodeus and taken to Limbo, the realm between the Demon Realm and the surface.”
“Precisely. This is the same type of device.”
As Prince Reichardt said, a bracelet like this one had allowed me to contact Parnacorta when I was captured by Asmodeus.
Magic tools, like the glasses Sir Osvalt and I had received as wedding gifts, allowed people without magical abilities to produce similar effects to spells. This meant that Prince Reichardt could use them, too.
A rare material known as magic ore was necessary to create these tools, making them impossible to produce on a large scale. Every now and then, however, I constructed tools that I needed for my duties as a saint.
The problem with these bracelets was that they were highly inefficient. To get them to work, one had to use an ancient ritual to infuse them with a huge amount of magic. If I wanted to make them widely available, I would have to improve this process.
Prince Reichardt, believing that magic tools were essential for his country’s development, had agreed to increase the import of magical ores. However, a particular wealthy merchant maintained an iron grip on import routes across the continent, making it difficult to acquire a larger supply.
“If anything happens, please use this to get in touch.”
“Miss Philia, you truly do think of everything. Understood. I pledge not to use it unless faced with the direst of circumstances.”
“I appreciate your consideration, Prince Reichardt.”
I bowed to both Prince Reichardt and His Majesty before returning to Sir Osvalt’s side. Now that His Highness had that bracelet, we would be safe even if the worst were to happen.
Something seemed to jog His Majesty’s memory. “Hmm… Speaking of unexpected scenarios, Reichardt, the fourth daughter of the Mattilas family—Lady Grace, I believe—mentioned coming to Parnacorta to serve as Lady Philia’s stand-in.”
Come to think of it, Grace had said something about that to me.
“Yes, sir,” said Prince Reichardt. “Grace did make that suggestion. At the end of the day, however, she is the saint of Bolmern. Depending so much on a foreign saint wouldn’t be ideal, diplomatically speaking.”
“An excellent point… You may be right about that.” His Majesty appeared convinced.
I had to agree. While Grace might be eager to stand in for me, Prince Reichardt’s decision seemed like the wisest course of action.
“On that note, allow me to offer my well-wishes once more. Osvalt, Lady Philia—go and make some memories. That is all I ask of you.”
“We will. I promise to create the most wonderful memories with Philia. Thank you for your kind consideration.”
“If you break that promise, I will never forgive you.”
“Understood!” Sir Osvalt responded. We both bowed our heads before the king.
That concluded our royal meeting.
As we started to make our way out, Prince Reichardt called out.
“Osvalt. Could you pay a quick visit to my office?”
“What for, brother? Is there something you aren’t comfortable saying here?”
What was going on?
“It’s not that. It’s simply something that would be inappropriate for Miss Philia to hear before her honeymoon.”
“Hey. I’m going on the honeymoon, too, you know. Well, whatever. Are you happy to wait a moment, Philia?”
“Of course.”
Sir Osvalt and Prince Reichardt headed off together, while I lingered behind.