“Who would have thought you were from another world?” Only Lars approached Seiichirou.
“His situation is not yet public knowledge outside the kingdom,” Orjef interjected, “so I ask that you keep it a secret.”
“Very well. Now I see why you, the esteemed vice commander of the Third Royal Order, was tasked with his protection.” Orjef smiled without affirming or denying the prince’s comment. “…Duly noted. I shall refrain from further inquiry at the moment.”
Lars made a theatrical show of defeat.
Not for the first time, it occurred to Seiichirou how perfect Orjef was for this job in terms of his administrative position and social standing.
“But I must say…” Lars’s jade green eyes, framed by his long silver eyelashes, peered directly at Seiichirou. “I find it remarkable that a man from another world, without any connections or means in this country, has managed to become a civil official and even a guide to foreign guests…”
“I would not say that I lack connections… If anything, I suppose that being from another world has made me stand out.”
A lower-class citizen could pick themselves up by their bootstraps and still find it practically impossible to get their foot in the palace door, while Seiichirou got into the Royal Accounting Department the moment he asked. This was probably because it was easier to keep an eye on him within the confines of the palace than if they had released him into the wild.
On the other hand, Seiichirou had enacted reforms which caught the prime minister’s eye and earned him a swift promotion, but Seiichirou thought of this as just doing his job. Without Camile or Aresh’s backing, his proposals would have gone nowhere, just like in Japan. If not for the magicule and magic poisoning, Seiichirou found it much easier to do his job here compared to back there.
“That alone does not explain the quality of your work. Case in point: I’ve never seen anyone put documents together like you do.” Lars seemed to be quite taken with Seiichirou’s administrative skills. It was a nice thing to hear, quite honestly. The prince’s reputation preceded him, but Seiichirou was genuinely impressed at his knack with people. “Given your talents and charm, I can see how you were wedded within such a short time frame,” Lars went on.
Snap.
Seiichirou was so frozen that one could almost hear the sound of his limbs clicking to the spot.
Orjef hurried to his aid. “He…is not wedded…”
“Oh, really? But you were wearing a lapel pin at the dinner party… Ah, I see. You’re still engaged.”
Did he manage to see the pin all that distance away? Or did someone else inform him of it?
“I was fortunate enough to meet your partner,” Lars continued. “He is an upstanding individual indeed…”
No, “fortune” has nothing to do with it. You just went out and met him. The accusation almost slipped out of Seiichirou’s throat, but he swallowed it just in time. He felt that something was off.
Did Lars make that marriage offer to Aresh while knowing he was Seiichirou’s partner? Or did he only find out after he met Aresh?
Anyway, Seiichirou couldn’t get over how Lars was praising his partner right after indicating he had no intention of giving up on the marriage proposal. Something about this didn’t add up.
“Who exactly are you…?”
“Kondo! I need your help!” Someone cut into the conversation before Seiichirou could finish his sentence. It was Qusta.
“What’s the sudden commotion?” Seiichirou asked, although there was really only one thing Qusta would need help for in this situation.
Turning his gaze to the source of the trouble, Seiichirou saw Ist surrounded by a throng of pale-faced Romany sorcerers. Only Zoltan’s face had color—it was beetroot red, in fact. He was frantically trying to cover Ist’s mouth.
Meanwhile, the Egorovans all watched on with sparkling eyes.
Well, to be precise, they were just as pale-faced as the royal sorcerers. But their eyes were still sparkling.
This could only mean one thing…
“Orjef! Restrain him!” Seiichirou cried.
“Huh? Oh, okay!” Orjef was momentarily flummoxed, but then he remembered the conversation they’d had before they arrived. He promptly got to work holding Ist down and covering his mouth.
“Oh no! What are you doing to Ist?!” Luciano’s voice rang out in reproach—although it was Seiichirou who had more right to complain. Ist was undoubtedly a menace.
“Director Zoltan…what exactly happened?” Seiichirou asked.
Zoltan groaned. “Ist was about to tell the guests about the new techniques and how the movement spells work…”
Called it.
There was slight reluctance in Zoltan’s tone, but he seemed aware that Seiichirou was the one most capable of getting this situation under control.
That said, Ist wasn’t the type to blithely leak confidential information. Putting aside the question of whether he recognized the information as “confidential,” it wasn’t in his character to tell just anyone about the spells he was researching.
“Did you offer your opinions on the spells?” Seiichirou directed that question to the Egorovans.
But it was Ist, still being restrained by Orjef, who started wriggling in response. Naturally, he couldn’t overpower the vice commander of Romany’s strongest knights. Seiichirou gave the signal to Orjef to at least uncover his mouth.
“Yeah! You hit the nail on the head, Kondo! These people are amazing! I was really racking my brain over how to protect living creatures against non-physical impediments. The basic movement spells just don’t account for it, you see. The ancient summoning spell used a special medium to fulfill that role, but there’s only one of those in existence. That’s why I was looking for a substitute. Anyway, talking with these fellows made me realize that you can use a barrier spell to fortify your spirit.”
“Orjef.”
“Mfff!”
Ist’s mouth was sealed once more, cutting off the sorcerer’s breathless rant.
“Listen, Ist. The ancient magic and the spells for moving humans are Romany state secrets. You can’t tell people from other countries about them just yet. Is that clear?” Seiichirou’s eyes swept over Ist. “I suspect not, so I will say it again. Listen carefully. Do not tell anyone about the ancient magic and the movement spells. Do you understand?”
Ist’s head bobbed up and down.
Seiichirou sighed and looked back over his shoulder. The research-obsessed Egorovans looked very unhappy.
“Progress should not be confined by country!”
“Yeah, we could have helped Ist with his dilemma!”
“This research will make its mark in magic textbooks for years to come!”
Seiichirou did not reply to that.
“Prince Lars.” He turned his gaze to the back of the group.
Lars’s handsome face was scrunched in consternation even as his lips formed a smile.
“From the Egorovan perspective, this visit is merely an opportunity to get a taste of Romany’s magic culture. Any serious inquiry will come later.”