Imperial Capital... I've made it back alive!
The refined cityscape was so different from Toizant. The crowds and racing carriages filled me with a strange, powerful nostalgia. My hometown wasn't the capital, but perhaps I'd grown attached to this city too.
Maybe because there had been so many incidents on the way there, the return trip came with a large escort detail. Thinking about how smoothly it had all gone, I realized just how powerful numbers truly were.
Once the escort to the Imperial Palace was complete and I was finally released, I stretched luxuriously. Now I was free.
"That was easier than usual..."
"?! Are you serious?!"
Klyus said through gritted teeth. Kirunight said nothing.
Escort missions were always a disaster for me. This time had its share of trouble too, but my burden had been kept to a minimum.
If I had to sum up what I'd done in one sentence, I'd say I'd just passed the buck. What you really needed were reliable friends. Considering that, calling it easy wasn't an exaggeration.
On top of that, I'd even scored a carpet and a smartphone. Rare Treasure Weapons were once-in-a-lifetime finds, and the rewards more than compensated for the trouble.
I gave the carpet standing next to me a few pat-pat pats on the shoulder, and it tried to chop me. Was it too much to ask that it let me ride on it and actually fly?
Once we reached the Clan House, I parted ways with Klyus, who'd been a tremendous help.
Whether it came to combat, moral support, or even charging Treasure Weapons, she'd been the MVP.
"Hmph... it was a total nightmare. Don't go calling me so casually again, weakling."
"...Want to have a celebration or something?"
"I have a report to give Lapis. Besides, who'd even come to a celebration? It'd just be me, you, and Kirunight! What was this guy even about? He barely said a word!"
Even though they were talking about him, Kirunight in his crimson armor stood ramrod straight beside me. He'd probably stay like that until Citry came to collect him.
"Well... but you were reliable, weren't you?"
"Y-You've got some nerve saying that, weakling. I'll give you that one, though. Color me impressed."
"Better than bringing in another Fox member, right?"
"..."
He hadn't been much use when it mattered, but he'd apparently had a mechanism to relay words to Citry and the others, and without Kirunight, they couldn't have called Citry's group at such a perfect moment.
I gave Kirunight's armor a few bonk-bonk pats. Being the strong, silent type wasn't necessarily a downside when it came to escort duty. He wasn't as much of a bother as I'd expected—honestly, I could probably drag him around indefinitely. I'd just need to remember the raw meat at mealtime...
In response to my friendly overtures, Kirunight flinched.
With powerful, mechanical movements, he slowly raised his arm and lifted his helm.
Klyus's eyes went wide, and she froze. What emerged was not a face—but a paper bag with two holes punched in it.
"Kil-kil..."
With that single word—almost like a greeting—Kirunight silently walked into the Clan House. The Hunters of the "Footprint" guild, well-versed in battling all manner of Monsters, parted to make way.
Kirunight climbed the stairs and vanished—presumably into Citry's lab on the third floor.
"...So it was actually Kirukilu."
You're kidding... Come to think of it, Citry had mentioned it in passing...
Because his usual impact was so strong, once he was fully armored with every identifying feature hidden, you really couldn't tell at all.
As I marveled from the bottom of my heart, Klyus muttered.
"...If I hadn't been the nice type, I would've clobbered him."
"As expected of Klyus! So kind!"
"You're definitely making fun of me, aren't you?!"
Klyus jabbed me with her finger. And so, my escort journey came to an end.
§ For the first time in a while, I took off the "Perfect Vacation" and settled into the comfortable chair of the Clan Master's office in my usual clothes.
I finally felt like myself again.
"Perfect Vacation" was an incredibly convenient Treasure Weapon, but it had one flaw: it was too comfortable. Rumor had it that among other "Perfect Vacation" enthusiasts, some had worn it so much they couldn't bring themselves to wear any other clothes. I didn't have that problem, probably because the gap between my normal self and my comfortable self wasn't that big. I didn't slack off much, either.
Really, lounging around in this place was what suited me best.
Eva brewed tea for me as always. Everyday life was the best. And yet, having her handle all the clan-related paperwork on top of serving me tea—I really was the worst, even by my own standards.
Eva asked her customary question.
"Klye. How was the escort request? I've been hearing rumors..."
"About a thirty out of a hundred. Nothing serious happened, right?"
"Nothing major, thankfully. If anything unusual—it's that the Lantern Knight Order returned from their expedition. They've already departed again, though."
"Huh, bad timing."
"They're mercenaries, so... Most of the other Parties were away too, so their leader Touka was quite disappointed."
That was an unusual name.
The Lantern Knight Order was the largest Party in the "Footprint" guild.
Their members were highly trained, specializing in disciplined, almost military tactics, but they were always roaming the world in search of battlefields, so they rarely returned to the Imperial Capital. For that Party, the capital probably wasn't even considered a base.
Incidentally, the Lantern Knight Order was one of the founding Parties of the clan, but the reason a Party that had little reason to join the clan cooperated was that Citry had gifted them some high-grade potions.
In other words, money. Party leader Touka's motto was "Money can buy lives." A perfect match for Citry.
If the Lantern Knight Order had been around, I could've dumped the Emperor's escort on them...
But that was already in the past. No matter how troublesome the request, a finished request was a good request. I'd gotten a carpet and a smartphone out of it, after all.
With a huge yawn, I kicked my feet up and pulled out the latest smartphone from my pocket.
"By the way, it seems the reforestation project in Toizant was a success."
She always had her ear to the ground.
"Yeah, it was quite the scene. Not that I had anything to do with it."
Phantoms were useful when they needed to be. Franz had told me that the chief of Toizant had been so excited at the meeting that he could barely focus on anything else.
But I'd stuck to my story that I had nothing to do with it. Somehow word had gotten around, and a crowd showed up to thank me, but I sent them all away claiming ignorance. I didn't accept any gifts either. My little sister fox was the one who did it—go thank her.
But could that even be called reforestation? Rumor had it that an entire forest sprang up in a single day. What kind of reforestation is that!
Eva blinked rapidly.
"You don't look happy. Is something bothering you?"
"A little. I do have my worries, you know. Well, I've already done everything I can."
Looking back, I probably shouldered my little sister fox on people way too irresponsibly. She seemed like she'd be reasonable, and her presence had been so overwhelming that I'd ended up leaving her without thinking—but maybe I should try convincing her to go home when the time was right. With my smartphone, long-distance communication was a breeze now. A real breeze.
"If you have worries, I'd be happy to listen..."
"Yeah, I'm counting on you."
Ah, Eva was the best. I'd make sure she came along on my next escort mission.
Just as I'd made up my mind, the door opened.
It was Citry, carrying an armful-sized wooden box.
Come to think of it, I never did get the details after asking Citry to train Her Highness. Too many things had been going on.
Her Highness had been returned safely, and Citry hadn't said anything, so there probably wasn't a problem—but in case it came up later, I should probably ask what the training had actually involved.
Citry approached, and before I could say a word, she flushed and spoke.
"Look, Klye!"
Ah, that attitude... Could it be that Citry... wanted praise?
Fine then. I'd give her some. There, there. Good girl, good girl.
Citry opened the wooden box with pride. Inside, glass bottles were arranged neatly in rows.
She picked one up and held it carefully. Inside was a dark reddish-black liquid with low transparency—looking at it, it resembled blood.
That was one creepy-looking potion... Now, how exactly should I praise this?
With a beaming smile, I waited for her explanation. Citry spoke with full confidence.
"I'm sorry for the delayed report... but please take a look, Klye."
"There, there. As expected of Citry. Good girl, good girl."
"It's Princess Murina's blood! As promised, I collected this much from the blood tests!"
??????
I looked at Citry's beaming face and the numerous glass bottles lined up. Come to think of it, Princess Murina had been awfully woozy...
The number of bottles was clearly abnormal. Even if you drained every last drop of blood from one person, you wouldn't get this much. And Princess Murina was petite to begin with.
I turned to Eva.
"Eva, mind if I get straight to my worry?"
"...I'm sorry, I'm feeling a bit unwell... I'll excuse myself."
"It's royal blood, and the preservation is perfect! This is virtually impossible to obtain! The research value is—"
With a pale expression and steps as wobbly as Princess Murina's, Eva excused herself.
With no other option, I cautiously asked Citry.
"...Is she alive?"
"I administered a potent blood-boosting potion, so... while the strain was considerable, there's nothing wrong with her vitals!"
Citry, "nothing wrong with her vitals" isn't exactly reassuring... I did say "training," didn't I?
W-What am I going to do about this? She hadn't said a word when I returned, but if this came to light, would they execute me?
§ And so, the very next day, I received a summons from the royal family. This might be the end for me.