Chapter 2 Part 3
Odette was waiting in the reception room of the ‘Grail Trading Company’.
“That was quite a long time, wasn’t it? What were you talking about, exactly?”
“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Odette.”
“Sorry about that. It took longer than expected.”
“…It’s not really a problem for me.”
Odette sighed as she rested her cheek on her hand. In front of her were plates of sweets, pancakes with honey-soaked fruit, fruit pies, and so on. Odette had left half of them untouched as she sat in her chair with a worried look.
“I heard that the ‘Grail Trading Company’ called the best pastry chef in the royal capital, but I couldn’t eat all the sweets. I’m tired of waiting.”
“I’m really sorry.”
“I’ll explain the situation, but first, I’d like some tea.”
I had been talking for a while, and my throat had gotten dry.
“Understood.”
After hearing my words, Rhodelia rang the bell in her hand. The maids then came and brewed some tea for us. After that was over, Rhodelia and the maids left the room. With only the three of us remaining in the room, Odette turned to me and said,
“So, what happened with the story of Iris’s dream?”
“It was true.”
“What?”
“I was the village’s guardian deity in Princess Iris’s previous life, and she was one of the villagers. Due to various circumstances, I was reincarnated in this era, and so was Princess Iris.”
Odette’s face was blank, and her hand trembled as she held the teacup, causing some of the tea to spill out. It seemed that I had indeed surprised her.
However, it was impossible to keep my previous life a secret from Odette. She had already heard about Iris’s dream and knew about the crest of the ‘Grail Trading Company’. If I tried to hide my previous life from her, the truth would inevitably come out later.
Besides, I did not want to lie to Odette. It was thanks to her that I understood Iris’s situation. If she had not told us about the crest of the ‘Grail Trading Company’, neither Iris nor I would have come here. We would not have met Rhodelia, nor would we have learned about the situation in ‘Feela Village’.
“…E-Er, um…”
Odette was fidgeting with her teacup. Then, she turned to Iris ──
“Iris… is it true?”
“Yes, it is.”
Iris took hold of my hand.
“Yuuki-sama was My Lord. I-I followed My Lord here.”
“W-WHAAAATTTTTT!?”
“In the future, I want to marry Yuuki-sama.”
“H-HUUUUHHHHHH!?”
“For me, it doesn’t matter what my position is as long as I can be by Iris’s side.”
“You always say things like that…”
“Iris is holding Yuuki’s hand, blushing…… Eh? What? Huh? EEEEEHHHHHH!?“
Odette was holding her head.
It was understandable.
Reincarnation is not something that usually happens, and there is no way to prove it. It was impossible to believe it.
Even if it looks like Iris and I are teasing Odette ──
“…I understand.”
“You understand?”
“Well, I don’t really understand, but I’ll say I do!”
“Is that okay?”
“Reincarnation and a village’s guardian deity. It doesn’t matter. What’s important is that my best friend, Iris, intends to marry my comrade, Yuuki. That’s enough for me to know.”
“Amazing, Odette.”
“The Duke Sorey family is a practical family. It’s natural to take care of what you can do.”
Odette stood up and looked straight at me.
“I agree that Iris and Yuuki getting married is a good thing. However, it’s difficult. The royal family selects their children’s marriage partners from noble families that are at least equivalent to a Marquis family or higher, or from royal families of other countries.”
“Yeah. That’s why I want to raise my peerage.”
“…Oh?”
“If I find two more ‘Ancient Artifacts’ in addition to the Holy Sword, my Baron family can become a Marquis family. And the ‘Ancient Artifacts’ are most likely in the giant dungeon, the ‘Capital of the Ancient Magic Civilization, Elysium‘. So I’m planning to investigate that place when I have the chance.”
That would probably be as part of the job for the ‘Magic Guild’. And in that case, I’ll need a collaborator.
“So, we want you to overlook it, Odette.”
“We are not asking for your help. When Yuuki-sama and I enter the ‘Capital of the Ancient Magic Civilization, Elysium‘, we’ll just secretly do some extra investigation.”
“We won’t inconvenience you, Odette… wait, hey.”
“GAH! AAAGH! AAAHHH!!”
Odette snapped!?
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? Are you really telling me to rest in the dormitory while Iris and Yuuki are investigating the ‘Capital of the Ancient Magic Civilization, Elysium‘!? I cannot do such a thing, can I!?”
“But we don’t want to inconvenience Odette…”
“It’s not an inconvenience!”
Odette placed her hand on top of mine and Iris’s. Then, with a gentle smile, she said,
“Rather, I want to help. I want to know if you two truly have memories from your previous lives, and if Yuuki really is like a guardian deity. Also, whether you guys can really find the ‘Ancient Artifacts’… What kind of mage would I be if I didn’t see that through?”
Odette pulled our hands towards her chest.
“Don’t leave me out. I can’t stand not being involved in something this interesting.”
“Thank you, Odette.”
“But, Yuuki, don’t you think it would be better to establish a new noble family than to raise your Baron family peerage with the ‘Ancient Artifacts’?”
“Is that so?”
“Think about it. It’s a hassle for your family to have an illegitimate child who has raised the family to the level of high nobility and is married to a princess.”
“Um, Odette, I don’t mind being Yuuki-sama’s mistress.”
“Please be quiet because it will complicate things, Iris.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Anyway, why not try finding all four ‘Ancient Artifacts’ and aim for the rank of Marquis from scratch? It’ll be easier that way.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Of course, I’ll keep this conversation a secret.”
“Thank you, Odette.”
Saying that, I looked out the window. The sun had already begun to set without me noticing. It was about time to leave. Iris had sneaked out, so she could not stay out for too long.
Odette and I let go of each other’s hands, and Iris reluctantly let go of mine. Then, we put on our robes and left the ‘Grail Trading Company’.
The general manager, Rhodelia, bowed at the entrance and remained in that position until we were out of sight. It was so long that the employees and passersby would stop in amazement.
We passed through the noble gate on the road that led to the dormitory. A white carriage was waiting by the gate, and Barnes-san was on the coachman’s seat. He noticed us and brought the carriage toward us.
“Your Royal Highness, please hurry. We are already well past the scheduled time. If it is discovered that you have left incognito, it will cause problems in the future.”
“I’m sorry to trouble you, Barnes.”
“Your Royal Highness’s troubles are my reason for living. Come on, let’s go quickly.”
Barnes-san got down from the coachman’s seat and opened the carriage door. Iris, who was dressed in a robe, climbed into the carriage while holding the hem of her dress. Her demeanor was that of a true princess, and she looked nothing like Alice, who had been a village girl. Alice had never even ridden in a carriage before.
Even though she has memories of her previous life, Iris is still a princess after all…
“…Please wait a minute, Barnes.”
Just as I thought that, Iris suddenly came running towards me. She came up close to me and looked up at my face.
“My Lord… You’re not going to disappear, right?”
She said that to me.
“You’re not going to disappear suddenly, right?”
“I won’t.”
“Okay. I believe you.”
Satisfied with my answer, Iris smiled and nodded. Then, she got into the carriage and returned to where the royal family lived.
“Hehe. That’s the first time I’ve seen Iris look like that.”
“May I ask you something, Odette?”
“What is it, Yuuki?”
“What does Princess Iris look like from the perspective of a best friend?”
“Her appearance is that of a clean and proper princess.”
“I thought so.”
“But she’s a strong-willed girl at her core. She knows what’s most important to her and is willing to do anything for it. It’s hard to just sit back and watch her.”
“She hasn’t changed at all.”
“Hehe.”
“Is this where we’re supposed to laugh?”
“No, no. I’m laughing at myself because I find it funny.”
Odette tilted her head and continued,
“After all, I’m starting to believe your story about your previous life.”
As we talked about such things, we returned to the dormitory.
