People in the world were saying that Shakira Babel had cast a spell on herself. That was to say, she cast a spell with which she wouldn’t grow old.
In reality—although one might say that, it was a hearsay Lucius heard from his mother—it seemed that Shakira had hardly grown older. Shakira, who was chosen to be a Dominas at merely thirteen years old, was praised as the possessor of the greatest magic ability in Ahmad at that time, but Shakira’s appearance would pass as a thirteen-year-old girl even now. In fact, Shakira, who was sitting at the same table as Lucius and having a meal, only looked like a voracious girl that could be found anywhere.
「—Is there something on my face, titled Richternach-kyou?」
Shakira carried the wine glass to her mouth with both hands, looked at Lucius with upturned eyes and asked.
「It’s not like that in particular… I’m sorry, Your Eminence. The, um, “titled” you’ve been saying since just now is—?」
「It’s that, to differentiate between the untitled Richternach-kyou and you. Titled Richternach-kyou」
「Isn’t that… troublesome?」
「Un, it’s troublesome. That’s why I decided to call that person “Dii-kun”. I overheard you calling him so, after all」
Wiping her lips lightly with the tip of her little finger, Shakira narrowed her eyes. At first glance, she was a girl; however, there was clearly a brilliance that gave one the impression of an adult woman in those pupils.
「Lucius-kun, what have you been talking about with Her Eminence since just now?」
The Crown Prince gracefully cut the roast of a calf on which gravy containing mushrooms was poured into small pieces with a knife, carried it to his mouth and then asked Lucius.
「We’re talking about Dimitar who had joined recently. He’s my relative」
「Ah, him. …That’s why you call him “Dii-kun”, huh」
Isaac nodded exaggeratedly and smiled.
「—Our Vice-Leader is much more capable than me, but it seems that he’s very soft on that relative of his」
「That seems to be the case」
「With all due respect, I don’t mix work and private matters」
「I think answering back like that, for instance, is the cause of you being called soft on him」
「……」
Pointed out by Isaac, Lucius kept his mouth shut.
Even without Isaac saying it, the fact that Lucius was too overprotective towards Dimitar had been pointed out—mainly by the maid in his home, Thial—several times so far. However, it was natural that Lucius would worry about Dimitar who was like a brother, and Lucius didn’t think that was overprotective. Most importantly, paying attention to this and that word and action of Dimitar, who wasn’t good at associating with people, was not only for the sake of avoiding needless trouble but was also necessary for the sake of the Richternach House.
“That’s why I’m paying attention to Dimitar in various ways, so I’m by no means overprotective”—enduring the matter of wanting to assert so, Lucius moved his knife and fork. He’d surely be teased by both Issac and Shakira again if he said that.
「—The food here is delicious」
The salad of which violet flower, lettuce and onion were cut fine and an orange-flavoured dressing was sprinkled from above, though simple, was very delicious. The rabbit stew, which was seasoned with spice, was also on the same level as what one would spend money to eat in the capital. It seemed that there was quite a skilful chef in this inn.
Shakira spoke while rolling a boiled egg vigorously on the table.
「—It seems that they went out of their way to call in a chef to coincide with me returning home」
As Shakira would stay here without fail when she returned home, this inn, which was the only one in the town, added a detached room just to accommodate her. Twice in several years, Shakira would just stay overnight each time when going and coming back; it was never opened for other guests. Thinking about that, it was probably nothing special to employ a competent chef for a limited time.
Moreover, Shakira returning home provided economic financial leeway to the towns and villages which were along the way to the extent that it was profitable nevertheless.
「The truth is that I quite wanted to retire, but when I think of everyone at my hometown, I feel that I have to cling on to my position at all costs」
「Cling, you say… Your Eminence is indispensable to our country. It’ll be troubling if you retire so easily」
「Oh my, Your Highness said a compliment you don’t really mean」
Shakira sprinkled salt on the boiled egg and smiled.
「Even though Your Highness was still nowhere to be seen when I became a Dominas, you’ve become able to speak quite good like this now… then of course I’ll grow old too」
Although her manner of speaking was just like an old woman’s, the boiled egg she was nibbling should be the seventh one, if they remembered correctly. Her body was small, but she ate a lot.
Lucius sighed lightly and poured wine into the Crown Prince’s and Shakira’s glasses.
「—I heard that Your Eminence seems to be the same age as my mother」
「Is that so?」
「I heard it so from Mother」
「It’s that, you’ve been deceived. After all, I’m younger than Orvieto as one would expect, you see」
As Orvieto also possessed an outward appearance that was far younger than her actual age and an unsurpassed magic talent, she was called by a second name which was “Witch of Sunlight”. From the fact that she and Shakira were collectively called the “two matchless people”, the extent of her true strength could be understood.
「That girl too—, you don’t know what she’s thinking about in her mind while she’s smiling, right?」
Even if she said “right?”, it was impossible that Lucius who was Orvieto’s son would answer “that’s right”. Ignoring the glum vice-leader, Shakira drank up the next wine she had just received in one gulp and put the glass on the table with a tap, as if requesting Lucius to pour wine.
「Even though she was only thinking of becoming a Dominas together with me, she started talking about quitting halfway… and when I realised, she had already taken a husband; on top of that, she even gave birth to a child with a “poron”」
「I wasn’t born with a “poron” though…」
Lucius cleared his throat softly and poured wine into Shakira’s glass again.
It seemed that Lucius’s mother, Orvieto, and Shakira had a relation where they competed with each other, aiming to be Dominas together. However, Orvieto quickly dropped out from the competition with the reason that it was for the sake of giving birth to a successor to the Richternach House, but without neglecting her diligent study of magic only and after continuing to polish her skills, she had taken up the responsible position as head director of the Royal Magic Academy now.
Shakira playing with Dimitar and teasing Lucius like this might be because of the rival relationship between Shakira and Orvieto, which spanned twenty years.
At that moment, Shakira’s head suddenly dropped to the table.
「Hey—?」
「Your Eminence!?」
Seeing Shakira’s forehead knocking against the table, not just Lucius, even Isaac half-rose to his feet from the chair reflexively.
「Your Eminence! What’s the matter!?」
「…How nice it must be for Orvieto…」
「Ha…?」
「She has a son who is so well-balanced and serious, and an adopted son who is slightly naughty and mischievous; on top of that, both are handsome young men… isn’t that unfair?」
「Y, Your Eminence…?」
「Oh dear… it seems that our Eminence is drunk」
Isaac evaluated Shakira, who was grumbling while lying flat on her face on the table, so and leaked an insipid laughter.
「—Babel-geika who is called “Dominas of Eternity”Domina Permanence probably also has various hardships that we ordinary people can’t understand」
「……」
Lucius shrugged his shoulders and looked down at Shakira, who had started to quietly breathe while sleeping before they realised it.
When she was like this, she really looked like nothing but a girl who still retained her innocence, but if she felt like it, the current Seal Chivalric Order could be annihilated by her in the blink of an eye.
That was a skilled Dominas.
「—Come to think of it, Lucius-kun」
Isaac spoke to Lucius, who had carried Shakira to the bedroom together with her attendants and then come back, while shaking his wine glass.
「When we arrived here in the evening, the mayor of this town consulted, …or rather, appealed to me when I was drinking tea together with Her Eminence」
「What is it?」
「It seems that a nasty bunch has been making frequent appearances in this area recently. He doesn’t know whether they’re bandits or a group of robbers though」
「Ah… if I remember correctly, I heard that the bandits who had made an abandoned fort in north Selsuru into their headquarters were subjugated and annihilated by the army about half a month ago. Isn’t this most likely the deed of those remnants?」
「That’s to say, this is the jurisdiction of the army, right?」
「At the very least, it’s not a domain we should interfere in」
「I see… well, our top priority mission is to drop Her Eminence off and then pick her up later while we’re doing a military exercise」
「Yes. …However, from Babel-geika’s point of view, she’ll probably want to do something about it immediately」
Shakira was regarded as the head of all the Dominas by not only Ahmad but also the “Holy Alliance”Liga Santourear; the situation where ex-bandits were rampant in Shakira’s hometown, her home territory, so to speak, would probably pain her heart, and it was by no means a glorious matter for Ahmad.
「Let’s make a request to organise a punitive force immediately」
Putting his empty glass down, Isaac stood up.
「—Not being able to catch all the bandits in one fell swoop is the ineptitude of the punitive force. I have to say a few words to Minister for Military Affairs Garrido-kyou」
「Your Highness, writing a letter to him is all right, but please be careful with your expression」
「N? Expression?」
「Garrido-kyou is a proud person. Failing to catch a section of those robbers is certainly the ineptitude of the punitive force, and regarding the military movements, the minister for military affairs should take responsibility in the end, but having said that, if you write in a way which criticises that situation too much, since it’s that Excellency, he might get angry…」
In which case, the response would, on the contrary, be late, and the people on this land would be troubled as a result. Minister Barjols Garrido was not only proud but also stubborn; he was an ex-soldier of such an old-fashioned type.
Isaac put his hand on his chin and nodded with a triumphant expression.
「I see… you’ve a point there. In short, you want me to aptly flatter that sort of stubborn old man in order to get him to do things?」
「…In summary, you’re not wrong」
“I didn’t say that Garrido-kyou is a stubborn old man though,” Lucius added and smiled wryly. If he didn’t deny that properly, this Crown Prince was a young man who might tell a lie like 「Come to think of it, Lucius called you a stubborn old man」 to the person himself.
People in the world were saying that Shakira Babel had cast a spell on herself. That was to say, she cast a spell with which she wouldn’t grow old.
In reality—although one might say that, it was a hearsay Lucius heard from his mother—it seemed that Shakira had hardly grown older. Shakira, who was chosen to be a Dominas at merely thirteen years old, was praised as the possessor of the greatest magic ability in Ahmad at that time, but Shakira’s appearance would pass as a thirteen-year-old girl even now. In fact, Shakira, who was sitting at the same table as Lucius and having a meal, only looked like a voracious girl that could be found anywhere.
「—Is there something on my face, titled Richternach-kyou?」
Shakira carried the wine glass to her mouth with both hands, looked at Lucius with upturned eyes and asked.
「It’s not like that in particular… I’m sorry, Your Eminence. The, um, “titled” you’ve been saying since just now is—?」
「It’s that, to differentiate between the untitled Richternach-kyou and you. Titled Richternach-kyou」
「Isn’t that… troublesome?」
「Un, it’s troublesome. That’s why I decided to call that person “Dii-kun”. I overheard you calling him so, after all」
Wiping her lips lightly with the tip of her little finger, Shakira narrowed her eyes. At first glance, she was a girl; however, there was clearly a brilliance that gave one the impression of an adult woman in those pupils.
「Lucius-kun, what have you been talking about with Her Eminence since just now?」
The Crown Prince gracefully cut the roast of a calf on which gravy containing mushrooms was poured into small pieces with a knife, carried it to his mouth and then asked Lucius.
「We’re talking about Dimitar who had joined recently. He’s my relative」
「Ah, him. …That’s why you call him “Dii-kun”, huh」
Isaac nodded exaggeratedly and smiled.
「—Our Vice-Leader is much more capable than me, but it seems that he’s very soft on that relative of his」
「That seems to be the case」
「With all due respect, I don’t mix work and private matters」
「I think answering back like that, for instance, is the cause of you being called soft on him」
「……」
Pointed out by Isaac, Lucius kept his mouth shut.
Even without Isaac saying it, the fact that Lucius was too overprotective towards Dimitar had been pointed out—mainly by the maid in his home, Thial—several times so far. However, it was natural that Lucius would worry about Dimitar who was like a brother, and Lucius didn’t think that was overprotective. Most importantly, paying attention to this and that word and action of Dimitar, who wasn’t good at associating with people, was not only for the sake of avoiding needless trouble but was also necessary for the sake of the Richternach House.
“That’s why I’m paying attention to Dimitar in various ways, so I’m by no means overprotective”—enduring the matter of wanting to assert so, Lucius moved his knife and fork. He’d surely be teased by both Issac and Shakira again if he said that.
「—The food here is delicious」
The salad of which violet flower, lettuce and onion were cut fine and an orange-flavoured dressing was sprinkled from above, though simple, was very delicious. The rabbit stew, which was seasoned with spice, was also on the same level as what one would spend money to eat in the capital. It seemed that there was quite a skilful chef in this inn.
Shakira spoke while rolling a boiled egg vigorously on the table.
「—It seems that they went out of their way to call in a chef to coincide with me returning home」
As Shakira would stay here without fail when she returned home, this inn, which was the only one in the town, added a detached room just to accommodate her. Twice in several years, Shakira would just stay overnight each time when going and coming back; it was never opened for other guests. Thinking about that, it was probably nothing special to employ a competent chef for a limited time.
Moreover, Shakira returning home provided economic financial leeway to the towns and villages which were along the way to the extent that it was profitable nevertheless.
「The truth is that I quite wanted to retire, but when I think of everyone at my hometown, I feel that I have to cling on to my position at all costs」
「Cling, you say… Your Eminence is indispensable to our country. It’ll be troubling if you retire so easily」
「Oh my, Your Highness said a compliment you don’t really mean」
Shakira sprinkled salt on the boiled egg and smiled.
「Even though Your Highness was still nowhere to be seen when I became a Dominas, you’ve become able to speak quite good like this now… then of course I’ll grow old too」
Although her manner of speaking was just like an old woman’s, the boiled egg she was nibbling should be the seventh one, if they remembered correctly. Her body was small, but she ate a lot.
Lucius sighed lightly and poured wine into the Crown Prince’s and Shakira’s glasses.
「—I heard that Your Eminence seems to be the same age as my mother」
「Is that so?」
「I heard it so from Mother」
「It’s that, you’ve been deceived. After all, I’m younger than Orvieto as one would expect, you see」
As Orvieto also possessed an outward appearance that was far younger than her actual age and an unsurpassed magic talent, she was called by a second name which was “Witch of Sunlight”. From the fact that she and Shakira were collectively called the “two matchless people”, the extent of her true strength could be understood.
「That girl too—, you don’t know what she’s thinking about in her mind while she’s smiling, right?」
Even if she said “right?”, it was impossible that Lucius who was Orvieto’s son would answer “that’s right”. Ignoring the glum vice-leader, Shakira drank up the next wine she had just received in one gulp and put the glass on the table with a tap, as if requesting Lucius to pour wine.
「Even though she was only thinking of becoming a Dominas together with me, she started talking about quitting halfway… and when I realised, she had already taken a husband; on top of that, she even gave birth to a child with a “poron”」
「I wasn’t born with a “poron” though…」
Lucius cleared his throat softly and poured wine into Shakira’s glass again.
It seemed that Lucius’s mother, Orvieto, and Shakira had a relation where they competed with each other, aiming to be Dominas together. However, Orvieto quickly dropped out from the competition with the reason that it was for the sake of giving birth to a successor to the Richternach House, but without neglecting her diligent study of magic only and after continuing to polish her skills, she had taken up the responsible position as head director of the Royal Magic Academy now.
Shakira playing with Dimitar and teasing Lucius like this might be because of the rival relationship between Shakira and Orvieto, which spanned twenty years.
At that moment, Shakira’s head suddenly dropped to the table.
「Hey—?」
「Your Eminence!?」
Seeing Shakira’s forehead knocking against the table, not just Lucius, even Isaac half-rose to his feet from the chair reflexively.
「Your Eminence! What’s the matter!?」
「…How nice it must be for Orvieto…」
「Ha…?」
「She has a son who is so well-balanced and serious, and an adopted son who is slightly naughty and mischievous; on top of that, both are handsome young men… isn’t that unfair?」
「Y, Your Eminence…?」
「Oh dear… it seems that our Eminence is drunk」
Isaac evaluated Shakira, who was grumbling while lying flat on her face on the table, so and leaked an insipid laughter.
「—Babel-geika who is called “Dominas of Eternity”Domina Permanence probably also has various hardships that we ordinary people can’t understand」
「……」
Lucius shrugged his shoulders and looked down at Shakira, who had started to quietly breathe while sleeping before they realised it.
When she was like this, she really looked like nothing but a girl who still retained her innocence, but if she felt like it, the current Seal Chivalric Order could be annihilated by her in the blink of an eye.
That was a skilled Dominas.
「—Come to think of it, Lucius-kun」
Isaac spoke to Lucius, who had carried Shakira to the bedroom together with her attendants and then come back, while shaking his wine glass.
「When we arrived here in the evening, the mayor of this town consulted, …or rather, appealed to me when I was drinking tea together with Her Eminence」
「What is it?」
「It seems that a nasty bunch has been making frequent appearances in this area recently. He doesn’t know whether they’re bandits or a group of robbers though」
「Ah… if I remember correctly, I heard that the bandits who had made an abandoned fort in north Selsuru into their headquarters were subjugated and annihilated by the army about half a month ago. Isn’t this most likely the deed of those remnants?」
「That’s to say, this is the jurisdiction of the army, right?」
「At the very least, it’s not a domain we should interfere in」
「I see… well, our top priority mission is to drop Her Eminence off and then pick her up later while we’re doing a military exercise」
「Yes. …However, from Babel-geika’s point of view, she’ll probably want to do something about it immediately」
Shakira was regarded as the head of all the Dominas by not only Ahmad but also the “Holy Alliance”Liga Santourear; the situation where ex-bandits were rampant in Shakira’s hometown, her home territory, so to speak, would probably pain her heart, and it was by no means a glorious matter for Ahmad.
「Let’s make a request to organise a punitive force immediately」
Putting his empty glass down, Isaac stood up.
「—Not being able to catch all the bandits in one fell swoop is the ineptitude of the punitive force. I have to say a few words to Minister for Military Affairs Garrido-kyou」
「Your Highness, writing a letter to him is all right, but please be careful with your expression」
「N? Expression?」
「Garrido-kyou is a proud person. Failing to catch a section of those robbers is certainly the ineptitude of the punitive force, and regarding the military movements, the minister for military affairs should take responsibility in the end, but having said that, if you write in a way which criticises that situation too much, since it’s that Excellency, he might get angry…」
In which case, the response would, on the contrary, be late, and the people on this land would be troubled as a result. Minister Barjols Garrido was not only proud but also stubborn; he was an ex-soldier of such an old-fashioned type.
Isaac put his hand on his chin and nodded with a triumphant expression.
「I see… you’ve a point there. In short, you want me to aptly flatter that sort of stubborn old man in order to get him to do things?」
「…In summary, you’re not wrong」
“I didn’t say that Garrido-kyou is a stubborn old man though,” Lucius added and smiled wryly. If he didn’t deny that properly, this Crown Prince was a young man who might tell a lie like 「Come to think of it, Lucius called you a stubborn old man」 to the person himself.
