The next day, Shinji was waiting in front of the Wolf residence, talking with Renka while the carriage was being prepared. The mbers heading to the royal capital included Shinji, Ichiro, Alvin, and Christina, while Renka, who was pregnant, would stay behind to guard the house.
For Renka, this situation ca out of nowhere, and she couldn’t help but feel frustrated and anxious that no one from their group could accompany Shinji. Even though Shinji was a reliable apostle of the goddess, Renka knew well that there were no guarantees in adventure.
Yesterday, Flair had tried to contact Goddess Arian, but she said there was still no response, which added to her worries.
”Shinji, please be careful.”
”Thanks. I’ll co back as soon as I can. I want to be back before our baby is born.”
”Yeah… you absolutely have to co back. If you return safely, I’ll forgive you for being late.”
”I’ll do my best. …I’m off.”
”Take care.”
They shared a light kiss on the cheek, and as Shinji got into the carriage, Ichiro, who was already inside, looked very apologetic.
”I’m sorry for this during such an important ti. …I appreciate your help.”
”Well, it’s a serious matter. Renka understands that, so it’s not a problem. But if you’re worried, please bring back a nice souvenir when you return.”
”In that case, I’ll pick out sothing good.”
”Thank you. …It seems we’re about to depart.”
Shinji and the others laughed together when they heard Alvin’s voice announcing their departure from outside the carriage, and slowly, the carriage began to move. They planned to accompany Alvin and the others to the royal capital, and once everything was settled, they would head south to the Dragonn village. ℞𝓪ℕ𝐎𝐁Ês̩
(I hope things go as Tina expects…)
Having had no chance to interact with the royal family in his childhood, and avoiding contact with noble society even after becoming an adventurer, Shinji didn’t know much about the Zia family, the royal family. He believed Christina wouldn’t ss up the arrangents with the royal family, but he couldn’t help but feel pessimistic about everything going smoothly due to his personality.
That said, he couldn’t imagine doing sothing reckless like sneaking around the royal castle. There would surely be skilled magic users in the castle, and if soone he sent to investigate got caught, it would clearly cause trouble not just for him but also for the Wolf family.
(There’s no point in worrying. I’ll just do what I can. I hope I can contact the goddess before eting the royal family.)
Not responding to Flair’s call ant that Goddess Arian wasn’t in the divine realm. It could be assud that she was off in another world doing her goddess duties.
It wasn’t unusual for Shinji not to be able to contact Goddess Arian right away, but he suddenly recalled the ti when the succubus caused a commotion in Hateyama.
(I hope nothing like that happens again…)
Shinji had a strange feeling of unease as the Wolf family’s carriage arrived at the royal capital after 2 days, just as planned. Goddess Arian was still unreachable, and his bad feeling only grew stronger. However, contrary to this, Christina managed to get an audience with the royal castle easily, even without an appointnt.
It was easy for the Wolf family, including the noble head Alvin, to enter the castle after getting permission from the guards. But getting an audience was another story.
Normally, they would have to give a docunt to the official waiting at the entrance, proving they had an appointnt with the royal family, and then they would be guided to the audience room or a waiting room. But this ti, they had no appointnt. Without an appointnt, they would need to apply for an audience and wait in the capital until their turn ca. Depending on the reason for the audience, the wait could vary, but it usually took several days.
What Christina did was a very standard application for an audience. She wrote her na and Alvin’s na in beautiful letters, along with the nas of their companions, Dragonn (Ichiro) and Shinji, stating the reason as a progress report. After that, she led Alvin and the others to a garden open to nobles.
Neither Alvin nor Ichiro, nor even Shinji, could understand Christina’s intentions. But as they admired the garden for a while, a royal official quietly approached them.
”Lord Wolf. I will guide you. Please co this way.”
”! …Thank you.”
When Alvin looked at Christina, she nodded. This ant that the official would take them to see the king, and Alvin and the others followed behind the official.
Christina knew that among the civil servants who received audiences, there was soone deeply connected to the royal family. A mber of a clan known as the Shadows, who would never betray the royal family, was aware of the relationship between the royal family and the Dragonn. When Christina, a noblewoman of the prestigious Beltz family, arrived without an appointnt and brought the Dragonn with her, this person sensed the urgency of the situation and imdiately reported it to the king.
The fact that Christina was an impeccable noblewoman, accompanied by Alvin Wolf, to whom she was betrothed, and that her subordinate, Shinji, who was rumored to have a contract with a high-ranking spirit, was also present, led King Yuuri of the Zia Kingdom to decide to arrange an unofficial eting.
Christina had considered the matter concerning the Dragonn village to be of significant importance to the royal family, to the extent that she predicted the king would make such a decision. And indeed, her prediction ca true. Shinji could not help but be greatly impressed by her skill in arranging the eting with minimal effort and without drawing attention.
In front of a room deep within the royal castle where Alvin and the others were led, the atmosphere was tense, with knights standing guard. When a civil servant knocked on the door, a knight inside opened it and ushered Alvin and the others inside.
The luxurious room was befitting of the royal castle, and the two knights standing by the walls were clearly seasoned warriors at a glance. In front of King Yuuri, to whom they pledged their loyalty, Alvin and the others bowed deeply in unison.
”Raise your heads. This eting is unofficial.”
”Yes, Your Majesty!”
With the king’s permission granted, Alvin and the others reported the anomaly in the Dragonn village as quickly as possible. Upon hearing their report, the king was deeply grateful that he had changed his schedule to et with them.
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