Episode 49: A Date with the Princess
So.
We rested for a night at Count Missgancia’s villa in the Royal Capital.
After that, it seems they’re reconfirming the Fourth Princess’s—was it?—available dates.
You see, around here, there are no trains or airplanes, so no one knows when or in what condition they’ll arrive in the city. The schedule seems to be adjusted as needed. After all, there are sudden weather changes, monster hordes, and all sorts of things.
That’s why it goes like this: you’re told to “come around this time,” and when you arrive, they say, “We’ll adjust the detailed schedule, so please wait a moment.”
It really makes you think about how much clocks and vehicles that run on time have optimized business…
Anyway, I decided to go sightseeing in the Royal Capital with Rosalinde.
Well, I’m bored, and looking around is fine, right?
“Dru, is this your first time in the Royal Capital?”
“No, I came here once about ten years ago.”
“Oh, really? How is it compared to back then?”
“It hasn’t changed much. But it’s still lively. If we get separated, you’re 100% dead, so hold my hand, okay?”
And so, we hold hands.
“Okay…♡”
I said to hold hands, but for some reason, she’s hugging my arm. Mysterious.
“…………”
Ignoring the two guards following us silently, we head to the main street.
The main street is… amazing.
I’ve only been able to say “amazing” since earlier, but it really is amazing, so it can’t be helped.
I went to a regularly held market with Mirei, the daughter of the Striders Guild’s leader, before… but this is even more lively than that, every day.
Yeah, it’s exactly like a country bumpkin coming to Tokyo and being overwhelmed by the number of people.
Really, all I can say is amazing.
“…By the way, aren’t you a noble’s daughter? Shouldn’t you bring more guards and leisurely sightsee while pushing aside the commoners?”
“No, Dru. That’s vulgar.”
Oh?
The nobles in this world aren’t like the ones in online novels, where only the bad aspects of the aristocracy are extracted.
“It’s not good for an outsider to act too high and mighty in someone else’s city.”
They have pride, or rather, they know their place.
Knowing “shame” is important.
Well, in a society where face is everything, where you can lose status just by failing at one dining etiquette, it’s only natural not to show any openings that would invite attacks from others.
…They’re surprisingly proper for being in the Middle Ages, aren’t they? Courtly manners weren’t established until after the Renaissance, right? It’s a mystery.
“But, are the usual two guards enough?”
“Hmm? There are more today, you know?”
Ah… oh, that.
The Count Missgancia’s hidden people…
Their presence is so faint that I can’t detect them with my skills… I might be able to tell if I use magic, but I won’t go that far. It’s probably better not to know the faces of the people in the shadows.
Anyway, if there are not only the usual two but also invisible guards, then there’s no problem.
Let’s enjoy this incognito? date? situation.
“Dru, what’s this?”
“It’s an ornament, the quality is so-so. It’s made with uniform standards, so it can be offered cheaply. There are many craftsmen in the Royal Capital, so they might be using a division of labor system.”
“What’s this?”
“It’s an imitation made by polishing fragments of waste glass… I guess? The shine isn’t like a gemstone. But the fact that they’re not trying to sell it as the real thing means the治安 (chian – public order) is good, right?”
“Hee~…? You’re knowledgeable?”
“There was a time when I was obsessed with jewelry making. I was thinking of becoming rich by using my Item Creation Cheat to become strong! But it seems that’s not a highly valued skill in this country…”
I’ve said it many times, but Magic Items in this world are basically only weapons.
In the first place, this is a world where you can’t handle Magical Power without serious training, so the Magic Items that those who can handle Magical Power want are, after all, weapons.
That’s why Magic Items are mostly handled in more luxurious, higher-class stores, and are basically family heirlooms of nobles or enshrined in churches as legendary weapons.
Even if I brought a “Magic Item!” to those places, I’d be turned away at the door.
“I don’t really understand, but that’s sad…”
“That’s right, I’m sad. The world should be kinder to me, right?”
“Hehe, really, so sad.”
“Eh, what? Do you think I’m a pitifully foolish existence?”
Well, then.
Like this, we’re window-shopping at the stalls.
It’s not like we have a specific purpose to buy something… these things aren’t about coming to buy something specific, but about spending time together.
The goal is to spend casual time with the person you like, and it’s fun to have trivial communication. People who don’t understand that are virgins, so please die.
And then… as we’re walking.
Hmm, yeah.
Suddenly, the crowds disappear.
This is a ‘crowd control’ magic, isn’t it?
Hmm… did I do something?
I should be cautious, right?
“Rosalinde-ojousama!!! Guh?!”
From behind, the voices of the Twin Guards.
However, groans and the sound of something hitting and bouncing off something.
When I turn around, there’s a semi-transparent wall of light.
A combination of ‘Barrier’ and ‘Force Field’?
Hmm…
…Can I be honest?
…I don’t have any experience fighting other magicians in this world because there aren’t many magicians.