“I do indeed understand the process. Count Ingo, I have something to ask of Lily here. Could you lend us some paper and drawing supplies?”
“Yes, just a moment.” Ingo quickly gestured to Norbert to see to it, and when he returned with the necessary supplies, Lily was still at a loss.
“Miss Lily, could you draw an object that appears rectangular from head-on, but hexagonal from above, in a three-quarter bird’s-eye view? Just the outline will suffice.”
“Yes.”
The shape was a simple hexagonal prism, but Ingo was slightly surprised to see she had easily drawn the object without warping it.
Seyfert continued. “Next, will you…”
He tested her with multiple diagrams, and by the end, Ingo, too, was astounded, even if he didn’t let it show.
Seyfert looked at the completed outlines and nodded. “I have caused you enough trouble. This is all I need, but… Yes, I may have some work for you shortly. By your leave, Count Ingo?”
“Of course, Lord Seyfert.”
“And,” he said, turning to Lily, “has Lord Werner shared anything else with regard to these maps?”
Lily thought for a moment. “My deepest apologies. While he did explain them to me, I cannot remember the details. I do not think I can explain it myself.”
“I see,” Duke Seyfert said. Lily’s answer had been stiff and laconic, and he didn’t press her further. “I understand. You may take your leave then, Miss Lily.”
“Then I thank you, Duke Seyfert.” She had already learned the manners to adopt when addressing nobility, but she couldn’t suppress the relief plain on her face.
Once Lily had left, the count turned to Duke Seyfert with a bow. “My deepest apologies.”
“It is no matter. I am sure she was uncertain whether sharing this with me would be to Lord Werner’s advantage or disadvantage. It is good that she is not too loose-lipped.”
“I see there are those who would rather ride a cow than a horse,” Ingo answered with a wry grin. While it was possible to ride cows, their gait was slower and the overall experience quite unpleasant. It was an idiom people used in this world to say that each person had their own preferences, the way people in Werner’s past world might say “some prefer nettles.”
The duke responded with a smile of his own. “I do not believe your son to be cattle, however.”
“Thank you for your kind words. Still, I was quite shocked.”
“As was I.” Seyfert looked at the drawings in awe. The last thing he had commanded Lily to draw was a piece from a board game popular among nobles. Being an item for the leisure class, its shape was intricate and far more detailed than the cut of a small gem. Yet, she had rendered it perfectly on verbal instructions alone, even without a reference to look at. Even among artisans, there were doubtfully many who could create 3D objects so precisely with only verbal descriptions to rely on.
“It appears that Miss Lily is able to see the objects in her mind in three dimensions and even illustrate them.”
“Indeed.”
Had Werner been listening, he might have said that she had an advanced sense of spatial awareness, but no such words existed in this world. Still, they could recognize the advantages that someone with such talents could afford them. At the very least, it was a valuable enough skill for an artist that a noble house may want to claim her for themselves.
“How fascinating. Would you mind if I borrow some of her time at a later date?”
“Not in the least, but do you mind sharing what it is you want her to draw?”
Seyfert didn’t mind in the least and said, “Why, I want her to draw the area around the castle.”
A detailed diagram of the castle town would be useful in deploying troops. Since Crown Prince Hubertus had implemented Werner’s proposed road improvements, it had become much easier to move through the capital. Still, Seyfert believed the roads would need to be made even more efficient.
Thus far, the town around the castle hadn’t been especially organized. It was divided roughly into a few districts, but that was the extent of it. Previously, “head from the third district to the west gate via the seventh district” was about as specific as orders could get, but now they could say, “third squad, head to the west gate via Viscount Lieberman Street, and fourth squad, go via Baron Heeks Street.” Neither Seyfert nor the crown prince had been idle after hearing Werner’s warning of a possible assault on the capital.
“Yet, she is the younger sister of the hero whose triumph over a Demon Commander has earned him such acclaim of late. I can hardly just call her to my residence on a whim. Do you happen to have any spare rooms, Count Ingo?”
“Do you mean to assign her a personal guard?”
“Indeed. I shall also summon Duke Gründing on one of the days she spends working on these maps.”
There wasn’t a noble left who hadn’t heard the praises the king had sung for Mazel. Should a duke like Seyfert summon this hero’s younger sister to his residence, appointing his own soldiers to guard her and having the queen’s father in attendance, their reputation among the nobility would never be the same. Still, having her draw a map of the capital would mean letting her get comfortable with classified matters of state defense. Seyfert had explained all this, along with the plans the king, crown prince, and prime minister had envisioned. The whole affair left Ingo scowling.
“I see. So His Majesty and His Highness had such plans in mind.”
“Please do keep this a secret from Lord Werner a short while longer.”
“Understood.” Ingo nodded. He, too, believed that there was no need to explain it all to Werner now.
Having reached an understanding, Seyfert let out a merry laugh. “Once Miss Lily finishes her diagram of the capital, perhaps we should have her capture Crown Prince Hubertus’s likeness in a portrait.”
“You go too far in your jests.”
The girl would be so nervous she wouldn’t be able to lift a finger, let alone a brush. The very thought left Ingo with a bitter grin.