Volume 5 - CH 2.02

Almudena’s hometown, Gloom, was at a place where one would have to gallop a horse along the highway from Ahmad’s holy city, Roma, for about two days.

In the surrounding hilly areas of Gloom, which were covered with soft grass, pasturage of sheep had been practised since a long time ago. One could say that it was a matter of course that Gloom’s economy was based on sheep farming and then grew.

—Although she knew things like these as knowledge, if Valeria didn’t actually see it, she couldn’t even imagine that prosperity.

The scale of the town itself was much bigger in Roma, of course. But here, this entire small and well-arranged town was filled with hot air; using a metaphor, it gave an impression like Roma’s market was enlarged as it was.

There were lumps of fluffy wool, textiles that were already manufactured and figures of people making transactions even though it wasn’t a market on the large and small alleys here and there; when Valeria thought so, a shepherd leading a flock of sheep, which were just sheared, was parading through the main street. Wafting from the shopfront of a nearby bar was probably the smell of grilled mutton skewers. Drunkards, who had been gulping down tankards of ale since daytime with them as a side dish and were sitting down hard on the roadside, weren’t just one or two either.

In any case—yes, it was noisy.

But for Valeria, it was a cheerful and likeable disorder and felt similar to liveliness. The figures of people coming and going, seemingly busy, under the bright sunlight might be indicating that they were generally happy.

「…What’s this smell, I wonder?」

Valeria, who was looking around at the scene of the town she had visited for the first time, frowned at the offensive smell that had pushed the smell of mutton being roasted aside and wafted here. It was an odour—as if something had rotted—that Valeria, who had a good life from the time she was born, wasn’t particularly familiar with.

「It’s probably that」

Dimitar who was dressed ordinarily in a plain waistcoat and trousers, different from usual, jerked his chin towards the top of the roof of a two-storey house facing the road.

「?」

Valeria, who had looked up, was also wearing simple cotton clothes now. They were travellers who had just come to this Gloom from somewhere—they were probably seen so by the local people.

「…What are those?」

「They’re probably drying sheep skins」

Sheep skins, of which the wool was sheared short, were certainly lined up on the roof in the state where they were nailed to boards. Due to this weather, decomposition might have started already.

「What does that do? What are they going to do after drying the sheep skins?」

「I heard that the wool becomes easy to pull out when they let the skins dry like that and decompose slightly. They’ll probably make parchments. Many sheep around here have white wool colour, after all. White parchment is made from sheep with white wool」

「Hee—」

There were a few villages that had developed the technology of papermaking near Roma, and although good-quality paper had been produced in large quantities already, the demand for parchment was still big. Alongside woollen goods, leather products and meat, parchments also seemed to be one of the special products of this Gloom.

「The economy really revolves around sheep in this town, huh. …What are you doing, Dimitar?」

When she looked suddenly, Dimitar was pointing at the horse they had ridden here and having a long talk with an old person, who was sitting on the roadside, for some reason. Before long, Dimitar received several silver coins from that old person and then handed over the reins of the horse in return.

「Eh? Hey, did you sell the horse?」

「We don’t need it to sneak into the royal villa anyway. Or rather, it’s just a hindrance」

In any case, they mustn’t reveal their identities to people other than the queen and Duke Bermudez and had to infiltrate the party as guards while concealing their identities—that was the king’s instruction. Therefore, Valeria’s party must first sneak into the royal villa somehow and establish contact with the queen or Duke Bermudez secretly.

Putting on the mantle again in order to hide his huge sword, Dimitar walked on the gentle stone-paved slope. While walking side by side with him, Valeria asked casually.

「I heard that the royal villa in Gloom is very small, but is that true?」

「It’s not small or anything; that seems to be it」

「—Eh?」

Dimitar pointed at a high wall that could be seen in front. Rather than a wall, it might be better to call it a rampart already. There was even a moat that completely enclosed its perimeter.

「That, you say… eh? Isn’t that a somewhat strictly guarded mansion of a rich person or something?」

「Well, you normally wouldn’t think the royalty’s royal villa is at the centre of the town… but it seems that that’s the real royal villa in Gloom」

Glancing at the map he had taken out from his pocket, Dimitar smiled thinly.

「—Though it’s called a royal villa, it seems to be Duke Bermudez’s mansion originally. I heard that because of additions to the building and reconstruction, it looks like a tasteful small palace」

「This area was originally Duke Bermudez’s territory, right?」

「Yes. When His Majesty the King intended to build a royal villa for Her Highness the Queen, Her Royal Highness seemed to have said that she didn’t want him to do such an extravagant thing for her. It seemed that Duke Bermudez offered his own mansion because of that, and it became the royal villa of today」

Perhaps it was because she wasn’t in very good health herself, Queen Almudena donated to the poor and built a charity hospital in Roma with her personal fortune; she was known for her compassionate personality. The episode where Almudena refused the construction of a new palace that was for herself was indeed typical of her.

The aforementioned royal villa in Gloom—or rather Duke Bermudez’s mansion, seemed to be located approximately at the centre of the town. In old fortified cities, the lords’ small castles were often built to become the final defence positions in case of emergencies, and perhaps the situation was also similar here; the existences of that high rampart and moat were indicating that. Despite that, one couldn’t feel a sense of intimidation probably because the front castle gates were left open and the drawbridge had also come down.

In fact, carts loaded with barrels of wine were getting checked by the gatekeepers and going inside the rampart normally even now. It seemed to be quite open to the town’s citizens.

「The atmosphere isn’t bad, …but considering the queen is staying here, there’s no air of tension」

Dimitar observed the gatekeepers fixedly and murmured.

「The local conditions and customs here are that carefree, right? Perhaps guards aren’t needed?」

「Even if Her Highness the Queen and Duke Bermudez say that it’s unnecessary, we’re acting on the king’s edict. How can we return shamelessly?」

Before long, Dimitar, who had been observing the flow of people around the royal villa for a while, began to walk along the moat.

「…Though the gatekeepers don’t have any feelings of tension, the eyes of the people of the town are numerous here. It’s quite difficult to sneak in without being seen by the citizens who are wandering aimlessly around there」

「Isn’t it better to wait for the day to get dark?」

「As one would expect, there’d probably be sentries standing on the rampart at night. Besides, it’s a waste of time to wait until night」

Dimitar put his right arm, of which the sleeve was rolled up, out from beneath the mantle. Blackish-blue lines were already shining dimly on the skin.

「Eh? Don’t tell me you—」

「Even if there are a lot of public gazes, it doesn’t mean that everyone is standing watch without a break of a moment. In short, it’s fine if no one witness the moment of our trespassing」

Dimitar ginned, put his arm around Valeria’s waist suddenly, kicked the ground and jumped over the moat in one breath.

「—」

The acceleration towards an unnatural direction started, and the colours in her field of vision changed rapidly. As it was too abrupt, it caused Valeria to feel giddy slightly.

「…It seems that we aren’t discovered somehow」

When she suddenly realised it, Valeria was sitting down hard in the cool shade of a tree, and Dimitar was straining his ears intently right next to her.

The surroundings were very quiet. With just a wall separating them, the hustle and bustle of that lively town felt far away. Incidentally, they didn’t hear voices like discovering intruders and then making noises either.

「If—if you’re going to sneak in, I, I wish you’d say a word to me…」

「I didn’t want to miss that moment」

「Even so… w, well, it’s fine」

Holding her knees, which were shaking lightly, in her arms, Valeria shook her head.

「…So, where’s this place?」

「Inside the wood behind the royal villa」

Taking a breath in the shade of a sorbus commixta, Dimitar was watching the state of their surroundings.

「If it’s the place that Her Highness the Queen, who is recuperating, will usually be at, it’s probably a place that is especially quiet even inside the mansion. Besides, I heard that the queen likes gardening, or rather growing flowers」

After one passed through the wood, there was a pond where lotus leaves of various sizes were floating, and its circumference was bordered by beautiful flowers. Green ivies twined around a small arbour on the side of the pond, playing a part in creating a refreshing silhouette. Even if it was seen by untrained eyes, it was a tasteful garden that was well maintained.

「Her Highness the Queen most likely touched it up. That being the case, she’ll come eventually if we wait here」

「In that case, I’ll rest a little—」

“Until then.” When she said so, leaned her back against the tree trunk and breathed deeply, Dimitar immediately spoke in a low voice.

「She appeared as soon as we talked about her」

「Eh?」

Valeria hurriedly knelt and looked towards the pond.

「Ah, you’re right…」

From the other side of the pond, the figures of several people passing under a white arch and coming this way could be seen. They were a beautiful woman who had put a dressing gown on top of a dress, which looked simple but well tailored, and two middle-aged women who looked like maids waiting on her.

Dimitar asked Valeria in a whisper.

「You should have seen Her Highness the Queen before, right?」

「Un」

Valeria, who had been going in and out of the royal palace countless times ever since she was chosen as a Dominas candidate, had never talked with the queen directly, but she had seen her before. The beautiful woman in the dress was without doubt Queen Almudena herself.

「She’s the queen. I’m certain of it」

「I see」

As one would expect, they couldn’t hear the voices, in which they were talking, when they were this far apart. However, if they observed the situation fixedly, they could somehow understand what kind of conversational exchange that was. The queen who wanted to take care of the flowers by herself and the maids who were put in a difficult position because they were going to do that sort of thing—it was probably because of such a reason that they were scrambling for the watering can.

Before long, the maids were ordered by the queen to do something, and then they carried empty buckets and returned to the other side of the arch.

「They were ordered to draw water, huh… if we’re going, it’s now」

「Eh?」

Valeria had no time to confirm that. When Dimitar left the shade of the sorbus commixta, he boldly approached the queen without any sign that he was afraid of his surroundings in particular.

「I beg your pardon for disturbing you when you’re relaxing」

「Ara?」

Queen Almudena, who was watering the flowers humming a tune, looked back at Dimitar’s voice and showed a dubious expression rather than a surprised one.

「You’re—」

「I’m called Dimitar Richternach, Your Highness the Queen. Presently, I’m working as a Hiera Glaphicos at the magic academyPrasa Marefikos, but I previously belonged to the Seal Chivalric Order under the Crown Prince」

「Richternach… so that means you’re Head Director-dono’s?」

「The head director is the cousin of my mother」

「Oh, yes, that’s right. If I remember correctly, I heard about it from Issac before. —Then, that person is」

Almudena, who had clapped her hands slightly and nodded many times, shifted her gaze and looked at Valeria. At the same time Valeria walked up to them hurriedly, Dimitar added without a moment’s delay.

「This is Valeria Costacurta-geika」

「Ah」

If the topic of her was brought up like that, then she couldn’t stand around idly indefinitely. Valeria put both hands on her chest, bent her knees slightly so that the hem of the skirt didn’t spread out and bowed.

「I, I beg your pardon for showing up in an appearance like this, Almudena-sama. I’m Valeria Costacurta」

「My, my, I heard that someone was chosen as a new Dominas in the letter from His Majesty, but you’re really lovely! Even a simple appearance suits you well」

“Pachi pachi pachi!” Perhaps clapping her hands slightly was a habit of hers; Almudena nodded, her eyes sparkling. It seemed that the rumour of her kind and friendly personality was true.

「—Ara ara? That’s strange though」

Almudena stopped clapping her hands suddenly and tilted her head to the side.

「Why are you in this Gloom? And in that kind of appearance; on top of that, you appeared secretly from the back of the mansion—」

「Regarding that, this is the letter from His Majesty…」

Dimitar knelt down on one knee in front of the queen and held out the letter he had taken out from his pocket.

「Really, for His Majesty to send Her Eminence as an express messenger from Roma, it’s such a discourteous action…」

The face of Almudena, who had unsealed the letter with an expression that was cheerful in some way and then opened it, immediately changed to a puzzled one.

「This is… written by His Majesty?」

「…Is something dubious?」

「That’s because—」

With a dubious expression, Almudena held out the letter she had been holding to Valera’s party.

「Pardon me」

They received it nervously and ran their eyes over it quickly.

In the letter, instructions from the king to Almudena for when she returned to Roma was written down in detail. For example, to limit the number of people in the party as much as possible, to make sure the fact that it was the queen’s party wasn’t exposed at all during the journey, and regarding the security structure for the journey, to leave it to Valeria and Dimitar completely, and so on—.

Valeria didn’t understand why the king would instruct her to do such things. That was probably natural since even Almudena, who was his spouse, didn’t understand either.

However, she was the king’s consort after all.

「—Well, it’s fine」

Almudena, who had a pensive look on her face for just a while, immediately showed an attractive gentle smile again and clapped her hands.

「Yes, yes. Speaking of easy, this way is easier. This means that I can leave everything to you. —Right, Your Eminence, Richternach-kyou?」

「Er… no, but」

Even if she said that she’d leave the party’s security to Valeria and Dimitar, it was difficult to conceal the identities of two people. In the first place, Valeria didn’t even have the slightest idea how they should sneak into the party without being suspected.

Concealing that discomfiture, Valeria made a triumphant expression and nodded.

「Regarding that—Di… Richternach-kyou, you’ll explain it to Her Highness the Queen」

Although it irritated her considerably, if it was Dimitar, he probably must be thinking about a way to solve such a problem smoothly. When Valeria brought up the subject, Dimitar raised his lips slightly.

「…First, I’d like you to prepare temporary identities for us」

「So that means…?」

「For us to join the party without being suspected by the people of this royal villa, we’ll need identities that won’t be doubted by anyone. …For example, identities like the distant relatives of Your Highness the Queen」

「If that’s the case… that’s it, let’s do it like this」

Almudena pointed at Valeria and Dimitar in order.

「Let’s say that you’re relatives from my mother’s side of family and that you’re accompanying me to wait on me in the royal palace. How about that?」

「Thank you very much. …If you can take the opportunity to introduce the both of us and say that we’re also serving as the party’s guards because we can use magic, it won’t be suspicious even if we take charge of this and that」

「Then, it’s decided. —From today, Your Eminence will call yourself Valeria Saforcada, and Richternach-kyou will call yourself Dimitar Saforcada for the time being, all right? Both of you will pretend that you’ve come from the house of my great-grandmother on my mother’s side of family, after all」

「Understood. I’m very sorry to trouble you, but could you discuss with Duke Bermudez the gist of that as well?」

「Of course」

Almudena then looked back towards the arch briefly.

「The maids will come back soon. —By the way, how did you come in here?」

「We climbed over the rampart there and came here」

「If that’s the case, you’ll be all right going back as well. —Can you come and visit my father from the front gates normally in about one hour, I wonder? If you say that you come from the House of Saforcada, they’ll let you in」

「Acknowledged」

Dimitar bowed very deeply to Almudena, and the next moment, he carried Valeria under his arm and dashed into the wood. It wasn’t something that could be done in a single leap. It was an amazing jump that only leg strength enhanced by magic could turn into reality.

Immediately after that, the maids came back, carrying buckets filled with water in their arms. If they had been late just a bit more, by a hair’s breath, they’d probably be seen by the maids completely.

They observed the situation for a while in the shade of a tree, but there wasn’t any indication that the maids had noticed their trespassing. Before long, the queen carried the letter from the king concealed inside her dressing gown and returned into the mansion.

「…I feel that we’ve overcome the first stage for now—」

「The mission is to return to Roma. Don’t relax your attention」

Dimitar, who had reminded Valeria so, was staring into the distance fixedly and seemed to be pondering something, but even if she asked him what was he thinking about, he surely wouldn’t answer.

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