Volume 8 - Chapter 7 – Unexpected Reunion (1/2)

08-07 Unexpected Reunion

Content warning: some graphic violence.

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In a sense, you could call the provincial city of Tellurs the gateway to entering the royal capital Esaia.

Just why is the royal capital Esaia so close to the national border?

Originally Celuroa Kingdom was a very small country. After the Great Magic War and after Dinar Kingdom had split into smaller countries, Celuroa Kingdom which was built on top of the Dinar Kingdom’s capital city’s ruins, had its eighth king Roland the First command troops to fight a neighboring country.

During the war that lasted nearly ten years, Celuroa Kingdom annexed a neighboring country and added it to its territory. Similar acts of aggression were repeated for generations.

The annexed lands were in the north and east, west, and then southwest. That’s the reason why the capital’s location was lopsided.

Had Egelia Kingdom been annexed too, the location wouldn’t be particularly strange.

Incidentally, during that time the southern Egelia Kingdom had fought stubbornly to the last, and to avoid the national power declining due to the prolonged war Roland the First made peace with Egelia Kingdom.

Since then there had been only small fights, but mostly the diplomatic relations have continued seemingly favourably. That is, until the events 18 years ago which Elsa’s father participated in.

“Didn’t Reinhardt say that the current king seemed a bit warlike…”

Jin muttered to himself while walking the streets of Tellurs.

There were two more days until they would board the ferry. Reinhardt had said he’d try visiting a friend, while Jin went off on his own.

To distract himself from the frustration of being unable to find Elsa, for no particular reason he was strolling about town. The rays of the spring sun shone warmly, just perfectly for a walk.

After over an hour of walking, Jin was a little tired and sat down on a bench that the plaza facing the main street was furnished with.

“Sigh.”

The street traffic was large, and the place was lively. Parents with their children, families, pairs of lovers. Traders, nobles, elders, children. Many sorts of people were coming and going.

“Oh, it’s mister.”

“Hm?”

From somewhere he heard a voice. Turning towards it, there was a blue-eyed girl with blond hair like silk trailing down.

“Let’s see, you were.”

“I’m Schiede, mister.”

The girl he had met in the village with the mine, Yada Village. The young daughter of Viscount Secatt’s house.

“Oh, yes, you were Schiede-chan. What are you up to?”

After remembering, Jin smiled and spoke to her.

“Yes, the day before yesterday we went sightseeing in this town. Today we came to board a pleasure cruise on the river Torres.”

“Huh, a pleasure cruise. Was it fun?”

“It was. The river was very wide, blue, and the Mr. fishes were leaping.”

Schiede smiled and made hand gestures while she explained to Jin. Her behaviour was charming and just by listening Jin had fun too.

“So, why are you here? By yourself?”

Jin asked, and Schiede made a somewhat uncomfortable face.

“Um, that’s…Because I got separated from mother and the others.”

“Eeh?”

In other words, a lost child. Jin got up in a hurry, and looked around the riverbank. However, he didn’t see people similar to them.

“Your mother’s group is surely looking for you too, right? Oh yeah, do you know the hotel you’re staying in?”

“I do. It’s called ‘Green Bower Hotel’.”

“Green Bower Hotel…I wonder where it was.”

The name sounded familiar. Jin was thinking about it when a voice spoke close to his ear.

(Father, that hotel is on the street east of the intersection on this street.)

It was the invisible Reiko whispering into Jin’s ear.

“Let’s see, if I remember right that hotel is this way.”

While thanking Reiko, Jin began walking and leading Schiede by the hand.

“Thank you, mister. That miss is not with you today?”

By that miss, she must’ve meant Elsa. Indeed, she did use healing magic to heal Schiede’s wound after the girl fell over, Jin thought.

“Mmh, she’s doing something else right now.”

“Is that so? And I wanted to see her again.”

It appears after Elsa healed Schiede’s wound, she took a liking to her.

“Mh-hm, that may be difficult.”