“Hmm… We’ve finally made it,” the archduke murmured.
More than two weeks had passed since our departure from the imperial capital, and we had at last reached Sailbridge. But contrary to my expectations, we steered clear of the town itself.
“We aren’t going into town, Your Grace?” I asked.
“No. If we did that, we’d probably give the people living there a right old scare. Until we’re done clearing out the bandits, we’ll make camp out here.”
“Understood.”
And so I found myself setting up camp alongside Professor Monica and the soldiers.
“Ah, there you all are.”
“Oh… Sir Portland.”
“We received a messenger from Viscount Sennett a little while ago,” Sir Portland said in a matter-of-fact tone. “He has invited Archduke Woodstock to dinner, along with you and Lady Monica.”
“U-understood,” I answered with a stiff nod.
Professor Monica received the message as well. “I see.”
“Very good.” With that, Sir Portland returned to his post.
Professor Monica turned to me. “Heh-heh… I get the feeling you don’t really get along with Oliver.”
“What? N-no, it isn’t like that…” Though it was true I felt nervous speaking with the man.
He’d shown genuine concern for me when I was trying to prove myself to the soldiers, and I understood he was a decent person. It was just…
“Oops, I guess there’s no time to dawdle,” she said, interrupting my thoughts. “We’d better get ready if we’re going to accompany His Grace.”
“I suppose you’re right.”
The two of us made our way to the main camp and changed our attire. Once we’d donned our overcoats and equipped our sabers, we headed off to find the archduke.
“Well, you two sure took your time,” he said. “Shall we be off, then?”
“Yes.”
It seemed all four of us—the archduke, me, Professor Monica, and Sir Portland—would be attending dinner with the viscount. There was no question in my mind that Professor Monica would be able to handle herself if the situation turned sour, and as the army’s second-in-command, Sir Portland would probably be fine, too… In fact, that’s probably a huge understatement.
We rode into town in a horse-drawn carriage, and it wasn’t long before we arrived at Viscount Sennett’s estate.
“Welcome, Your Grace,” the viscount said in greeting.
“Mmm, yes.” The archduke responded with a slow nod.
“This way, please.”
Viscount Sennett led us into a wide hall, where we came face-to-face with someone unexpected.
“Why, if it isn’t His Grace the Archduke…?”
“Well, now. I wasn’t expecting to find you here, Lord Grenville.”
Indeed, to everyone’s surprise, Marquis Grenville and Louis were also in attendance. But why on earth would the two of them be somewhere so remote…?
“I hope my foolish son hasn’t been misbehaving, Your Grace,” Marquis Grenville said.
“Of course not!” the archduke answered with a hearty laugh as he patted me on the shoulder. “I couldn’t be prouder to have such a promising young man joining House Woodstock!”
“I better not hear that you’ve besmirched Archduke Woodstock’s good name, Hugo,” the marquis warned. “You understand?”
“Of course… I understand.” I bowed deeply, taking care to keep my expression neutral.
“But what an unexpected family reunion,” the archduke observed. “…What brings you here, Lord Grenville?”
“As it happens, I’m planning a new business venture in Sailbridge. I brought Louis along as my heir to learn as much as he can.”
“Oh… I see, I see.” The archduke smiled and stroked his beard. I could tell, however, that the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I assume you’ll be staying here awhile, then?”
“Indeed… We’ve scheduled a full week,” Marquis Grenville replied matter-of-factly.
“Now that everyone is here, let’s all sit down for dinner,” said the viscount. “Our head chef has been hard at work preparing a delicious treat for you both, Archduke Woodstock, Marquis Grenville.”
With that, we were led to our seats. An eerie tension filled the air as we began our meal.
“By the way, Your Grace,” the marquis began. “Lord Sennett told me earlier that you’re here to deal with a little bandit problem.”
“Mmm, yes. I thought it would be a good opportunity for my son-in-law to make his battlefield debut.”
“Is that so?” Marquis Grenville fixed me with a strange half sneer before taking a bite of his appetizer. Louis was so engrossed in the food that he remained silent.
“Well, Your Grace,” said Lord Sennett. “Now that you’re here leading the empire’s strongest force, I’m sure you’ll have no trouble eliminating this bandit threat in record time. When do you begin?”
“Hmm… What do you think, Oliver?” the archduke asked.
“Well,” Sir Portland answered, adjusting his glasses. “First, we intend to survey the damage they’ve inflicted in the area. After that, we’ll scout the bandits’ hideout, surround them to prevent their escape, and then we’ll exterminate them. My guess is we’ll need at least ten days to prepare.”
“Ha-ha… You’re usually as swift as lightning, Your Grace. I wouldn’t have expected you to take such a leisurely pace.”
“Well, this will be my son-in-law’s first real battle, after all. He has to be well-prepared if he’s to perform to the best of his abilities.”
“Yes,” I answered, bowing slightly. “I’ll do everything I can to meet your expectations, Your Grace.”
“Glad to hear it,” said Lord Sennett. “My people will rest easy now that you’re here to protect them.”
“Hah! We haven’t even started yet,” the archduke joked.
In the end, thanks to the archduke’s amicable contributions, the dinner went off without a hitch.
“…I feel sick just thinking about those scheming bastards.”
“I agree…”
The archduke and I had quickly grown weary of the viscount’s endless lies. Our preliminary investigations had already unearthed his relationship with the local bandits. What we still didn’t know was whether the plot went as far as the Kingdom of Orléans.
“But I suspect the bandits—or rather, those agents of Orléans—will soon rush to withdraw from the empire,” suggested the archduke. “I doubt they’ll want to take our thousand-man-strong army head-on.”
“But Oliver’s lie about the timing of our attack probably has their guard down,” said Professor Monica.
“Mmm. Indeed.” The archduke nodded.
“In that case, Your Grace, when do we make our move?” Sir Portland asked. His tone was flat and businesslike.
“Tomorrow night, naturally. Before they can escape.”
In about one day’s time, I would be facing my first real battle.
“… Just what is that upstart Grenville playing at…?” the archduke wondered aloud. “What business could he possibly have in this backwater?”
I had been asking myself the same question. I couldn’t recall him ever conducting business in or around Sailbridge during any of my past lifetimes. Was that really what he was doing here…?
“Well, let’s focus on mopping up these bandits first. We’ll look into Grenville’s plans once we’ve taken care of the first problem.” The archduke smiled and patted me on the shoulder.
“…Of course.” I nodded, but I still felt uneasy.
“Now then, the three of you ought to get some rest… Oh, yes. I almost forgot. Oliver, if you would?”
“For you, Master Hugo,” Sir Portland said, handing me a written note. “Show it to the portal supervisor in Sailbridge, and you’ll be able to use it to return to the capital whenever you want.”
“…Thank you!”
“Heh-heh. Say hello to Meltreza for me.” Professor Monica grinned.
“The same goes for me!” said the archduke.
“Of course!”
Clutching the note in my hand, I rushed for the building housing the teleportation portal. After I spoke with the local administrator, I was led into a room complete with a large teleportation square surrounded by four magicite crystals.
“We’ve already set the coordinates for your destination,” said the administrator, “so you can make the jump whenever you’re ready.”
“Understood. Thank you!”
Unable to wait any longer, I all but leaped through the portal.
“…Hugh! Welcome home!”
“Melza…”
My fiancée beamed and rushed into my arms, and I caught her in a gentle embrace.