Logfort was a port in the country of Uppasala connected to the capital through canals and Lake Mater. It was a link to the other countries in the north and a rapidly developing port city.
There was a building some way from the center of the town, and there was a person walking through it. It was likely their first time in the building, and it showed in how they stopped periodically to look around. However, they were moving relatively quickly considering it was their first time there and they were traveling in darkness. That led to the conclusion that this person had to move through darkness as part of their regular duties. If they were actually an uninvited guest, it would be terrible. The figure had already reached the rear entrance and slipped in without a sound like a shadow.
“Commander Yan, it is an honor that you have accepted our invitation. I offer you my gratitude.”
“Oh, Your Majesty, Zenjirou, if I recall. Frankly, it is rather surprising that you are behind all this.”
King Gustav had given permission for Zenjirou to use teleportation in this building on the outskirts of Logfort, and he was currently sitting on a sofa in the room as he greeted the mercenary Yan.
Shockingly, Zenjirou was the only one present. He had teleported directly there from Capua. He was also allowed to teleport to the embassy in the capital, but he was using this building because they hadn’t even notified Uppasala.
He shook his head with a rueful smile at that. “I am afraid you are overestimating me. I am here as nothing more than a messenger. The complete picture comes from above me.” He shrugged. Although he had managed to feign calm, the mercenary’s unexpected response had sent his heart practically beating out of his chest. He had never expected he’d be mistaken for the ringleader.
Thinking about it logically, though, the misunderstanding was hardly a surprise. If you were unaware of the existence of the game-changing magic of teleportation, a single royal alone in the room the letter had specified would certainly make it seem like that person was behind everything. Therefore, the doubtful snort from the commander was in some ways the correct response.
“Are you still playing the fool even now?”
“I am not. It is simply a matter of procedure. How much do you know of the lineal magics of royal families?”
“Hm? They are just specific types of magic that some royal families have, no?”
The unexpected question had surprised him and prompted an honest answer. Strictly speaking, “some” was incorrect. Even on the Northern Continent, more than half the royal families had lineal magic, so it should have been “most.” However, from the perspective of most people living on the Northern Continent, it wasn’t exactly wrong. That was simply how much weaker the association between royal families and lineal magic had become there. As a result of their almost reckless abandon with marriages, there were not only members of foreign royal families with lineal magic that was not their own, but even some simple nobility. The Graz family’s expansion magic was one of those examples.
This was partly because the advanced technologies of the Northern Continent had lowered the value of minor lineal magic, and there was only magic of that level left among their lineal magics. If there had been any on a similar level to those considered strongest on the Southern Continent—Capua’s space-time, Tucale’s divination, Burke’s celestial, and the Twin Kingdoms’s enchanting and healing—history likely wouldn’t have gone the same way.
Either way, Yan’s view of lineal magic was the norm on the Northern Continent, and it was completely incompatible with that of the South.
“In our royal family of Capua, part of the lineal magic is a spell called teleportation. As the name implies, it can instantly move a target to a distant location. I am here through that magic to send you to the person who is, as you say, behind this. I would appreciate your acceptance.”
“I see, so that is how it works. Very well. However, should you be telling me such a secret?”
Viewed from the outside, teleportation was a trump card the likes of which was seldom seen. Informing someone of it made it far less effective than it being kept secret. However, Zenjirou shrugged lightly.
“It doesn’t matter. It is common knowledge on the Southern Continent,” he answered truthfully.
In fact, Yan was about to be made aware of something literally top secret, never mind teleportation, and that was more of a concern. Still, taking too long here would worry Aura where she was waiting, so he moved the conversation along.
“You arrived after having seen the letter, so I assume you prepared what we requested?”
The mercenary nodded briefly at the question, removing something from a metal box at his waist. The rabbit in his hand squeaked weakly. In the letter, Aura had requested he bring an animal that could be killed and was no larger than the box, so this fulfilled the conditions.
Although the candlelight was dim, the rabbit was clearly hale and hearty. Therefore, Zenjirou reluctantly gave the instructions he had to.
“It certainly is alive. Well then, please kill it.”
There was a pause. “Right here?” Yan’s right eyebrow lifted doubtfully at the instruction.
“Yes. Finish it here and take it with you.”
The reason for having Yan bring an animal that could be killed here was to prove that time reversal would mend its wounds. Capua could have prepared a corpse, but that would have left room for it to be some kind of trick, hence asking the mercenary to prepare his own animal cadaver. The reason they had not asked him to bring a corpse was to minimize the amount of mana necessary for it. An older corpse, even a small one, might be beyond Aura’s reserves alone.
Part of it was also the matter of transporting it via teleportation. There was a fundamental understanding that a single casting of the spell could only transport one living thing. It seemed to be a strict requirement, but there were many contradictions if you examined things more closely. The general rule was that a single casting would only take one living thing and the inanimate objects on their person. However, Zenjirou’s vague memories of school told him that almost every living person had countless face mites and the like. If the general rule was correct, then after he had teleported, there would be a pile of them where he had been standing, but that didn’t happen.