The city of Van, in the Kingdom of Friedonia’s Amidonia region.
When it was the capital of the Principality of Amidonia, Van had a decidedly militaristic character. However, after the Elfrieden Kingdom—under King Souma—captured the city, they encouraged the arts as part of their occupation policy. Freed from its old militarism, Van was reborn as a city of the arts.
Even after Elfrieden and Amidonia were unified into the Kingdom of Friedonia, the trend continued. Residents began painting their roofs in vivid colors, and artists from all disciplines visited to work here. A nature preserve was also established in the nearby mountains to protect the shoujou that harvested the beguiling lily—the key ingredient in lily root dumplings. The result was a city, and surrounding area, with a certain lively chaos.
Van’s development as a hub of the arts influenced neighboring towns and villages, and soon the whole region became known as the A-Van-Garde Region—a name coined by Souma himself.
At the wyvern landing area by Van’s gates, Lombard and Yomi disembarked from the royal gondola they had borrowed from Souma.
“Yomi, let me take your hand.”
“Thank you, Lord Lom.”
As Lombard helped Yomi down, a figure even taller than him approached. The newcomer stopped in front of them, straightened, and gave a sharp salute.
“You are the king and queen of the Kingdom of Remus, I presume. I am Margarita Wonder, entrusted by His Majesty with your security. Thank you for coming.”
It was none other than Margarita—the former Amidonian general turned singer. (“Singer” here meant a musical performer who didn’t present themselves as an idol like the lorelei did.) Souma had chosen her for the task because she bridged both martial and cultural worlds, and because she was a native of the former Principality of Amidonia.
“We’ll be in your care, Madam Margarita.”
“Please take good care of us.”
Lombard and Yomi each extended their hands, and Margarita shook them in turn. Lombard glanced around.
“Sir Souma mentioned he’d assign us both a guard and a guide. I assume you’re the guard, so where’s the guide?”
Margarita’s expression stiffened for just a moment. “Ah... Yes, there is a guide, but...” she began awkwardly. “He’s also the lord of the city, so... Well...”
“Hmm? Did he have some urgent business to attend to?”
“No... It’s just that, since we’re welcoming guests, he wanted to...work on the presentation.”
“‘Presentation?’”
Lombard and Yomi exchanged puzzled looks, until...
“Hahhh, ha ha ha!!!”
A sudden booming laugh echoed across the area. They turned towards the sound—up on top of the city wall, where a man was striking an exaggerated, dynamic pose.
“You must be the royal couple from the Kingdom of Remus! Welcome to my domain of Van! As its lord, I extend to you my most passionate greeting! Gooo!!!”
With that, the man hurled himself from the wall.
Lombard was awestruck by what looked like a sudden suicide, while Yomi covered her mouth in shock. Margarita, however, only looked like she was trying to restrain her anger.
The man spun twice in midair before landing in a crouch, right fist driven into the ground—the classic hero’s landing.
“...”
Unfortunately, the impact seemed to have been too much for his knees. He stayed frozen in that pose for an uncomfortably long moment, sweat beading on his forehead. At last, he gritted his teeth, straightened up, and gave them a bright smile with a thumbs-up.
“Welcome! To my Van!”
Kaboom! A fiery explosion erupted behind him, releasing clouds of white smoke.
It’d all taken only seconds, but Lombard and Yomi already looked as if their souls had left their bodies. Margarita, meanwhile, strode towards the man and punched him square in the cheek.
“Some ‘welcome’ this is!”
Smack!
“Gwagh!!!”
He went flying into the wall, leaving a crater that spoke volumes about the strength of the blow.
Just as Lombard and Yomi began to worry he might actually be dead, the man bounced back to his feet.
“Ow, ow, ow... You never hold back, Madam Margarita.”
“You’re having too much fun with this. Even using an illusion to make it look like you were buried in the wall.”
The man winced, clearly in pain but otherwise full of energy. As they spoke, the fire, smoke, and even the dent in the wall vanished as if they had never been. Lombard and Yomi exchanged uncertain glances.
Margarita seized the man by the ear, dragged him forward, and forced him into a bow beside her.
“I’m terribly sorry! Everything you just saw was an illusion. None of it was real.”
“Ow, ow, ow! M-My ear! Madam Margarita, this pain is very much real!”
“Shut up! You’re embarrassing us in front of royalty.”
“No, His Majesty told me to surprise our guests, so I was just doing my best to—”
“Enough with the excuses! Greet them already!”
“F-Fine! I’ll do it!”
Finally released from Margarita’s grip on his ear, the man theatrically cleared his throat before bowing to Lombard and Yomi.
“Ahh... Welcome to Van. I am Ivan Juniro, lord of the city and surrounding lands. His Majesty has ordered me to show the two of you around.”
“So you can do it if you try.” Margarita pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
At that moment, Yomi tugged on Lombard’s sleeve.
“Lord Lom... Isn’t this the gentleman who appears in Charge! Silvan?”
“Silvan... Oh, that hero program. Now that you mention it, before he transformed, they called him ‘Big Brother Ivan.’ I see. So that’s you, then?”
During their stay in Parnam, they’d often visited the fountain plaza to watch public broadcasts. The programming was diverse, ranging from singing competitions to hero shows and comedies. They had started out simply wanting to learn about the broadcast industry—one of the Kingdom of Friedonia’s signature policies—but before long, they were watching purely for fun.
Hearing the question, Ivan grinned.
“If you know Silvan, that makes this easier. My family, the House of Juniro, is known for producing illusions like the one you just saw. At His Majesty’s request, we’ve put those skills into supporting the broadcast industry. Because Van still has its historic streets and a thriving community of artists, I was given the city and surrounding area to use as a filming set.”