Perhaps the Egorovans were satisfied after getting their fill of the Sorcery Department, or maybe Lars’s scolding had done the trick, because the group obediently read the documents today. Lars in particular had a lot of questions, which Seiichirou and Qusta took responsibility for answering. Zoltan would always respond to any query about the Sorcery Department with “Qusta will explain in more detail!”, which was a waste of time, but other than that it all went smoothly.
The problem arose after lunch.
The guests had been given their own dining space. It was all well and good for them to use this time to chat with the tour guides, until someone mentioned Sigma. Luciano was the one who brought it up, but it was Lars who pressed the subject.
“I heard yesterday that the church is running a private school for common-born children.”
Although Seiichirou was the one who spearheaded the project, his job was to praise the nation. He shot Orjef a look to say, “Leave this to me.”
“Yes, Prince Yurius believes that the commoners are in need of education,” he said.
“His Highness himself?” Donato sounded impressed.
“Indeed. He believes that commoners should have the opportunity to learn simple things such as reading, arithmetic, and etiquette to nurture the next generation of working citizens.”
“The commoners, hm? What purpose does that serve?”
“I believe the boy we met yesterday will be a promising technician,” said Georgi.
“Yeah. He might not come from nobility or have much magic, but he’s already achieving things,” Luciano remarked.
The two of them seemed to have quite a favorable impression of Sigma and were happy to chat about him. Only Lars seemed to have a different idea about where to steer the conversation.
As he cut finely into his garegas, a dish wrapped in pie dough and fried, he lifted his gaze.
“I heard that it was the current Holy Maiden who proposed the idea.”
Ah, so that’s his angle, Seiichirou nodded to himself as he stabbed a fork through his salad.
Romany was not yet aware of how Egorova planned to use movement spells. Given those circumstances, the kingdom was unwilling to give them access to the Holy Maiden. If by some terrible happenstance Seiichirou’s identity as an otherworlder was revealed, handing him over was the better option. He guessed that this was one of the reasons he was chosen as a guide. He was just as valuable as Yua in the sense that he was living proof that a movement spell could summon a person from another world.
“You’re well-informed,” said Seiichirou. “Indeed, Her Holiness and His Highness are leading the project.”
“The current holy maiden is quite a go-getter, I see.”
“Yes. Although she was unfamiliar with our magical methods, she is an extremely hardworking and benevolent soul.”
“Ah, but I suppose she is familiar with our magic now.” Lars was not giving up easily.
Zoltan was the one who answered. “Why, yes, but she is still not yet fit to appear before other nations! Much less royalty!” he said, deflecting Lars’s implication with a laugh.
Camile or Yurius must have cautioned him not to let Lars cross paths with Yua. Seiichirou was grateful for the intervention, but they weren’t out of the woods yet.
“Is that so? What a shame. But I am very interested in this private school for uneducated commoners. Would you be able to take us there?”
All eyes on the Romany side turned to Seiichirou.
Seiichirou stood up, trying very hard not to make his confusion evident in his gaze. “We cannot make suitable arrangements for you at short notice, so please allow me to speak with the church first.”
He bowed, left the dining hall, and then broke into a speedy power walk.
He knew the private school’s schedule, but he didn’t know which days Yua and Yurius visited. First, he had to check their schedules, and he had to inform the church…!
It was day three of the diplomatic mission.
Not a single day so far had gone according to plan—what a pain in the neck.
Once Seiichirou managed to hear about Yurius and Yua’s movements through the Second Royal Order, he told them not to approach the church that day. Then he sent a message to the church, and in practically no time at all, both the Egorovan and Romany delegates headed to the same destination in separate carriages.
“What made you want to see the education facility so suddenly, Your Highness?” Donato asked as he made himself comfortable on the sofa. The Egorovan carriage had quite a large and opulent seating area, which was good enough for something the Romany side had prepared on short notice.
Lars had told them the day before to listen carefully to what the Romany side explained today.
“There was something I was a little curious about,” he said.
“Are you talking about the current holy maiden?”
The Holy Maiden appeared once every hundred years in the Romany Kingdom to purify the miasma. Other nations were privy to this legend, and in Egorova there was much talk about how Romany had revived its ancient summoning magic to bring forth its current Holy Maiden from another world.
“I’m interested in their purification and summoning magic, too, but I get the impression they don’t want us to meet this holy maiden,” said Donato.
“Oh, is that why you got the idea to suddenly visit a place she often goes?” Luciano asked.
Lars laughed and shook his head. “I’d never be so underhanded… Oh, why are you all looking away? Anyway, we only have seven days here, so I won’t get hung up about the holy maiden.”
It was too soon for her to appear at diplomatic junctions. If they were going to unveil her, it would be with much fanfare. Lars wasn’t planning on cutting ahead of schedule.
“I’ve also considered the idea of opening an educational facility for commoners, so I’m interested in seeing how theirs works,” he said.
“‘Also,’ you say. So there’s something else?” Luciano asked.
The corner of Lars’s lip turned up. “Apparently, a certain illegitimate son from the Royal Accounting Department is a teacher at the private school.”
“What a coincidence!”