This country is a box of surprises...
Lombard and Yomi were endlessly shocked by the inscrutable, incomprehensible nature of the Kingdom.
That night, Lombard and Yomi were warmly welcomed by the House of Juniro.
“My old man...my father is away at the moment, so I’ll be entertaining our guests myself. But, well, I’m not used to doing this, so forgive me if I do anything to offend. I hope you’ll enjoy your night in Van Castle,” Ivan said, raising his glass at dinner.
Ivan, Siena, Nanna, Lombard, and Yomi were seated at the table, each with a plate of food and an alcoholic drink before them. The meal was chicken sauté à la Van, served with lily root dumplings.
Lombard raised his own glass in reply. “Rest assured, you’ve done more than enough to make us feel welcome since we arrived.”
He spoke sincerely. The Princely House of Amidonia had once ruled from Van Castle, but it now served as the seat of government for the Juniro Domain and as a point of interest for travelers.
Having once been the center of power for a militaristic nation, the castle was far too large for a single noble family to live in comfortably. For that reason, the House of Juniro usually resided in their residence within the castle town. Tonight, however, they had chosen to dine and stay in the castle itself, as it was a special occasion with honored guests.
“Those ships were fascinating. This city has had no shortage of surprises for us.”
“You said it. That sight really caught me off guard.”
Lombard and Yomi exchanged wry smiles.
Not long after entering the castle, in the grand hall just beyond the gates, they had received a baptism by fire in just how avant-garde this city could be.
In that vast space—large enough that, in another era, it might have hosted a battle tournament—stood a number of glittering ships with eccentric designs on display. One bore a dragon motif, another a flying horse. Each ship seemed to compete with the others in flamboyance, as if vying for the title of most ostentatious.
When Lombard had asked about them, Ivan explained, “They’re called fairy ships, and they’re used during memorial ceremonies.”
This was a custom imported from Souma’s world to honor those lost in the war between the Kingdom of Elfrieden and the Principality of Amidonia. On the day of the ceremony, the ornate ships were set afloat down the river in memory of the dead—though the event had gradually evolved into a wild river party. (Souma had originally envisioned something simple, like lantern floating, but Roroa’s misunderstanding had never been cleared up properly.)
In keeping with the city’s modern avant-garde tastes, the fairy ships had grown more elaborate and extravagant with each passing year. It was almost a shame they were used only once before being discarded.
“That being the case, we decided to store them somewhere so they could be reused year after year. And since we had to put them somewhere anyway, why not display them and give the city another attraction? Once we thought of that, Van Castle was the only place big enough, and that’s how they ended up here,” Ivan explained.
In terms of Souma’s world, it was like putting the portable shrines and floats from festivals on permanent display to draw in tourists. Part of Van Castle had practically become a ship museum, attracting visitors from far and wide to see the fairy ships.
“This castle itself is a symbol of the old Principality of Amidonia, so there were some who suggested it should be torn down now that we’re at peace. But His Majesty said, ‘The locals would object, and it would be a shame to destroy something of such historical value. Besides, we can use it when filming programs...’ So it was left standing,” Ivan added with some amusement between sips of his drink. “Thanks to that, we can display the ships, which our family is really grateful for.”
“Aha. Use what you have, however you can... Sir Souma’s philosophy applies across the board here, I see.”
Souma never hesitated to change what no longer fit the times. But on the other hand, he made use of everything he could—people, cities, and things. Lombard could sense Souma’s policy at work throughout the city.
At that point, Nanna, gnawing on a chicken leg, suddenly groaned.
“This is all kinda complicated. If you keep talking, the food’s gonna get cold. This meat’s from the poultry farm Ivan gave me, you know?”
“U-Um, Big Sister Nanna. Maybe try reading the room...” Siena said nervously.
Nanna was being her usual innocent self, leaving Siena flustered. Lombard and Yomi exchanged amused looks before chuckling.
“Hee hee, you’re certainly right,” Lombard said. “It’d be rude to let such a fine meal go cold.”
“This chicken really is delicious,” Yomi agreed.
Nanna beamed at the praise. “Of course! It’s engagement chicken from the poultry farm Ivan gave me when we agreed to get married!”
““Engagement chicken?”” Lombard and Yomi echoed.
“Ah, well, you see...” Ivan began to explain the story of his engagement to Nanna.
The peaceful dinner conversation carried on from there.
At some point, however, Lombard raised a question. “Come to think of it, you mentioned your father is away. Where has he gone?”
“Oh, the old man... My father Moltov is out filming in a nearby village.”
Lombard cocked his head at this answer.
“Filming? But weren’t you just shooting in Van earlier? If he’s filming somewhere else, does that mean the Juniro Domain has been entrusted with two precious broadcast jewels?” he asked, recalling the large jewel he’d seen at the Honey Bunny shoot.
“Oh, no,” Ivan waved a hand. “Dad’s shooting with a mini-jewel.”
“Um...by mini-jewel, do you mean the one Sir Souma announced?” Yomi asked. “He said it would allow programs to be filmed without relying on jewels taken from the dungeons.”
“Yes,” Ivan replied with a nod. “It’s a new tool made from curse ore.”