“Sei.”
At the sound of a voice from outside the carriage, I looked out the window and saw the Commander riding alongside on horseback. He faced forward and said, “It’s coming into view.”
Following his words, I poked my head out the window a bit and looked ahead. There, atop a hill, stood a castle, with a town stretching from its base and a wall encircling it all. This was the capital of the Klausner Territory, our destination.
“Wow…”
It was mid-afternoon. Bathed in the slightly westward-leaning sunlight, the orange-tiled rooftops glowed vividly. In contrast, the castle and its walls, made of stone, had a darker tone. Yet, the scene reminded me of the European landscapes I’d always longed to see, and I couldn’t help but let out a cheer.
You might say the royal capital was similar, right? That’s true, but the royal capital and Klausner Territory have a slightly different charm. That’s why the excitement feels even more intense…
While I was marveling at the scenery, the carriage continued onward. Our group, including me, passed through a forest and reached a plain dotted with fields. We were almost at our destination.
Since leaving the royal capital, we’d traveled almost straight here. It was only natural, given we were rushing to address the crisis in Klausner Territory. However, the expedition was quite large, so we couldn’t move too quickly. It took a fair number of days to reach Klausner Territory, and we stayed in towns along the way. Those stops came with their own share of events.
The issues weren’t limited to Klausner Territory. Every local lord seemed to be clamoring for the Knight Order’s help. So, when we stayed in towns, the local lords often asked for various favors. I understood their feelings, but we couldn’t afford to dawdle, so we mostly declined. Still, some were persistent… We ended up promising to stop by again on our way back from Klausner Territory a few times just to move on. Those moments were a bit exhausting. The Commander seemed to feel the same, as he started avoiding staying in the territorial capitals along the way.
While reflecting on the journey, we crossed the plain and finally arrived at the castle gate. Perhaps because we were entering the town, the carriage slowed down. Thanks to prior arrangements, we passed through the gate without being stopped and proceeded directly to the castle where the lord resided.
The town I glimpsed while passing through was smaller than the royal capital but seemed reasonably prosperous. I’d heard that monsters were increasing and affecting the harvest of medicinal herbs, the town’s main industry, so I thought the atmosphere might be somber. But it wasn’t like that at all. The expressions of the people we passed were, if anything, bright. Was the situation less serious than I’d thought? Or were the people of this town just particularly resilient?
As I pondered this, we arrived at the castle entrance. The carriage came to a stop. I took a deep breath to steel myself. From here on, I had to act as the [Saint].
As discussed beforehand, I waited inside the carriage until the door was opened from the outside. Nobles, apparently, weren’t supposed to disembark on their own. After a short wait, the carriage door opened, and light from outside poured in.
Peeking out, I saw the Commander standing nearby, offering his hand to help me down. Even though I’d been taught about etiquette, I wasn’t used to being escorted, so it felt a bit embarrassing. With a complex mix of emotions and a slightly stiff smile, I tried to cover it up with a grin. Gotta make sure my face doesn’t look weird. Gently taking his hand, I stepped out of the carriage.
Raising my gaze from the ground, I saw a line of servants standing in front of the castle entrance, with a man in elegant clothing at their center. He looked to be in his late fifties, with gray hair mixed with white, and was slightly taller than me. Was he the lord? Guided by the Commander, I approached him. When we stopped in front of him, the man spoke.
“Welcome, thank you for coming. I am Daniel Klausner, the lord of this land.”
With his greeting, Lord Klausner bowed gracefully, and the servants behind him followed suit in unison. As the [Saint], my status was higher than that of a local lord. It couldn’t be helped, but being treated so formally made me feel incredibly awkward. I’m just a commoner, now and always. Wanting to get this over with quickly, I forced a smile despite my twitching cheeks and returned the greeting.
“I’m Sei Takanashi. I’ll be in your care for a while.”
“I’m Albert Hawk, leader of the Third Knight Order. Pleased to meet you.”
Following my greeting, the Commander introduced himself, and Lord Klausner raised his head. He then introduced the head butler and head maid, representing the servants. Both were around the same age as Lord Klausner. The butler was tall and slender, while the head maid was shorter than me and rather plump. I was told to approach them if I needed anything. Both had a kind demeanor, which made them seem approachable, and I felt relieved.
After the brief introductions, they offered to guide me to my room immediately. They said they’d discuss the current situation in Klausner Territory after I’d had a chance to rest. They were considerate, knowing I must be tired from the long journey. Even with breaks, spending all day in a carriage was exhausting, so I appreciated their thoughtfulness.
The room I was led to by the head maid was spacious and seemed to get plenty of sunlight. The furniture was mostly in subdued tones, giving a sense of age, while the wallpaper and curtains were a unified emerald green. The atmosphere was lovely.
“Please use this room.”
“Thank you.”
The head maid must have been busy, as she left the room right after showing me in. After seeing her off, I immediately sat on the sofa in the room, leaning back and relaxing. Forgive me for being a bit unladylike—I was exhausted from my first long journey.
“Would you like to change into casual clothes?”
“Hmm, we’re meeting Lord Klausner again later, right?”
“That’s what I’ve been told.”
“Then is it okay if I stay like this?”
“You’ll need to change again for the meeting with Lord Klausner, so you could change into something more comfortable now.”
“Oh, really? Then I’ll change.”
The person I was talking to was Marie, a maid who’d come with me from the royal palace. Since my stay in Klausner Territory might be long, and I’m still unfamiliar with noble society, she came along to help. I can handle my daily tasks on my own, so I’d be fine alone, but I’m clueless about things like changing for specific occasions or what to do with my clothes. For those aristocratic matters, I rely on Marie. There’s also the external perception apparently, it’s an issue for the palace if the Saint doesn’t have at least one maid. Another maid from the palace came along as well.
While the other maid unpacked the luggage brought from the palace, Marie pulled out my usual clothes from the bags. I stood up from the sofa and took off the robe I was wearing. It was an ornate one I’d worn when meeting His Majesty the King. During the journey, I’d worn my usual clothes with the Court Mage Corps’ robe, but today, since I was meeting the lord, I wore this fancy outfit. It wasn’t as restrictive as a dress, but it was still stiffer than my usual clothes.
“Hm?”
“Don’t I need to wear this robe when meeting the lord?”
“We’ve prepared another robe for that, but would you prefer a dress?”
“No! Please, the robe!”
I’d heard I’d need to change before meeting Lord Klausner, so I checked just in case they meant a dress, but thankfully, another robe was prepared. I almost stirred up trouble for myself and panicked a bit. When I politely declined, Marie and the other maid giggled. They knew I wasn’t fond of restrictive dresses. Can’t help it, I’m not used to them. And I don’t plan on getting used to them either.
As I changed into my casual clothes, the other maid showed me the second robe. It was also ornate, made of light blue fabric with intricate embroidery in various colored threads. According to Marie, they’d brought several dresses as well. Was it really okay to have so many extravagant outfits prepared for me? Perhaps sensing my unease from my expression, Marie reassured me, “For someone of the Saint’s status, this is perfectly fine.” Apparently, Aira-chan has several similar dresses, gifts from the First Prince. The other maid whispered this to me, but Marie caught her and scolded her.
While chatting with the two maids as they unpacked, there was a knock at the door. Marie answered, and it was the head maid from earlier. She’d brought tea for me to relax with.
“Thank you.”
“Not at all. Please, take your time and rest.”
I thanked the head maid as she set up the tea on the table in front of the sofa, and she responded with a warm smile. Marie took over serving, and the head maid left the room again. The tea poured into the cup was light in color, likely a fragrant herbal tea. As expected of a major producer of medicinal herbs.
It felt vaguely familiar, like something I’d drunk in Japan, but I wondered what herbs they used. Thinking about it, I reached for an apple served with the tea. Biting into it, the crisp texture gave way to a refreshing mix of tartness and sweetness that spread through my mouth. Sweet things are great for relieving fatigue, aren’t they?
As I chatted leisurely with Marie and the others, time passed quickly, and it started getting dark outside. Wait, what about the meeting with Lord Klausner?
“The meeting… hasn’t it been scheduled yet?”
“I haven’t been told a specific time. Shall I check?”
“Could you, please?”
As I was talking with Marie, there was another knock at the door.