Chapter 148: Joining the Party
“Baumgarten-sama.”
“Yes?”
As I left the audience chamber, which had become noisy and bustling after the King and the kingdom’s dignitaries had departed, a maid called out to me. She was a middle-aged maid I’d seen before. If I recall correctly, she’s one of Eleonore’s maids.
“Princess Eleonore is requesting your presence, Baumgarten-sama. Would you be so kind as to come?”
“Understood.”
Eleonore contacting me at this timing, huh? What could she want?
Following the maid, who had excellent posture, I stepped into Eleonore’s Detached Palace.
Perhaps they’d already heard the prophecy of the Evil God’s resurrection, as the atmosphere inside the Detached Palace seemed somewhat somber.
“Excuse me. Margrave Baumgarten, I have come as summoned.”
“Dee…”
When I entered Eleonore’s private reception room, Eleonore greeted me. However, she seemed to lack her usual brilliance.
As usual, I was guided to a sofa. It seemed there would be no sweets today. A bit disappointing.
“You’ve heard it too, haven’t you, Dee? The prophecy of the Evil God’s resurrection.”
“Yes.”
“By now, Father is likely discussing the kingdom’s policies with the major nobles.”
“Yes. I believe so.”
“I find myself thinking. Isn’t there something I can do as well?”
“That is…”
It seems Eleonore wants to do something herself about this national crisis.
However, there’s likely little Eleonore can do.
In the original game, Eleonore would join your party at this timing… What will happen in this world…?
“I want to become stronger. I must become stronger. I don’t want to think about it, but if the need arises, I must be the one to lead the people.”
If something were to happen to the King, Eleonore, as first in line for the throne, would need to succeed him.
“Therefore, I have decided to first train myself.”
This line. Could Eleonore be…?
“Dee, would you lend me your strength?”
I had a premonition she would say those words. And I had been hoping for them.
Depending on Reinhardt’s actions, I had thought Eleonore might go to Reinhardt’s side.
That would be following the original game’s plot, and it’s probably something to be welcomed. However, I didn’t want Eleonore to go to Reinhardt.
To increase Reinhardt’s chances of successfully subjugating the Evil God, I probably should tell Eleonore to go to Reinhardt.
But I didn’t want to do that.
So, I ended up nodding to Eleonore’s words.
“Understood. Though I am a person of little talent, I will dedicate my all to training Princess Eleonore. It is the revival of Reginleif.”
We aren’t an adventurer party, but we do have a party name. That is Reginleif. In the ancient tongue, it’s a party named “The Hope Left by the Gods.” Can we become the hope of the people?
“Thank you, Dee. I’ll be in your care.”
And so, we began to act together with Eleonore.
From now on, I’ll use my game knowledge to train Eleonore, Cornelia, and the others.
So that we can cut down any darkness that may assail us.
◇
“Alright then, shall we go to the church?”
When I returned to the newly renovated Baumgarten Mansion with Eleonore, everyone was surprised. Right? No matter if it’s to become stronger, it’s surprising for a Princess to imitate adventurers.
“Everyone, I will be in your care from now on,” Eleonore said.
Once the round of greetings was over, we headed to the church. It was the Grand Cathedral where I had my wedding ceremonies with Cassandra and Claudia.
“It feels somewhat nostalgic, doesn’t it?”
“Yes.”
Claudia and Cassandra were reminiscing. Claudia looked a little shy. Well, it’s the place where we kissed in front of many nobles, after all. Thinking back on it, I also feel a bit embarrassed.
“So-then! Onii-sama, why did you come to the church?”
Cornelia wedged herself between me and Claudia. Is she jealous, I wonder?
“To check how much everyone’s Gifts have grown. Think of it as a bonus if they evolve, so just give it a try with a casual feeling.”
It would be great if we could see stats as numerical values like in a game, but since we can’t, we have no choice but to visit the church periodically like this.
Ideally, I’d want everyone’s Gift to evolve, but well, that’s probably impossible. If they evolved that easily, anyone who became an adventurer would probably have their Gift evolve.
Upon entering the Grand Cathedral, there was, surprisingly, a crowd in front of the goddess statue. From the looks of it, many of them are adventurers. They’re easy to spot because they’re armed in their own individual styles.
“That is…”
Wondering what they were doing, I saw adventurers praying one by one in front of the goddess statue, while a priest holding a crystal watched over them. It felt just like tourists taking commemorative photos.
“What are they doing?”
“You don’t know, Dee?”
Cassandra was, in turn, surprised that I didn’t know. Eh? Is that such a well-known activity?
“They’ve likely come to check if their Gifts will evolve, just like us. Because you, Dee, became famous for evolving your Gift twice, adventurers, in particular, are trying to follow in your footsteps. Watching you, Dee, one tends to forget, but evolving a Gift even once is a great achievement. Depending on the case, it could even lead to the possibility of being appointed to a position under a high-ranking noble.”
“Hoh.”
Well, if you’ve been an adventurer for many years, there’s a chance, I guess. It’d be good if there are some who can evolve. The strengthening of humanity’s side is greatly welcomed.