Chapter 34: Oath of Loyalty

“Kakeru-sama, I, Rain Orion, hereby declare that I’ve become your faithful servant! Please use this life of mine for your purposes however you see fit!”

“……”

After enjoying a delicious lunch, we returned to Rain-san’s room, where he had dismissed everyone else. He suddenly knelt before me and held up the expensive-looking red gemstone bracelet from his right wrist as an offering.

…Yeah, by the third time, I had gotten used to it.

“Um, when a royal like you acts so deferentially toward me and uses honorifics, it draws too much attention and could cause trouble. I’d be happier if you treated me normally, like you did earlier.”

“…If that’s Kakeru-kun’s wish, I shall comply. Thanks to Kakeru-kun, I was able to put a period to the story that had been a lingering regret for me in my previous life. Truly, thank you!”

“I’m glad to hear that.”

Rain-san thanked me with a bright, sunny smile. Seeing his demeanor, it seemed he was satisfied with the final volume of the manga I had given him earlier.

…Though he was saying something very dramatic, I had only bought some manga. Because Yuuka and Aoi had carried such heavy regrets, I didn’t feel as if I had done anything particularly significant.

No, of course I understand that being able to read a manga through to its completion is something to be very grateful for.

“By the way, is that oath-like gesture something that’s popular in this other world?”

“That’s right, Kakeru-kun hasn’t been in this other world for that long yet. This is called the ‘Oath of Loyalty.’ It’s a ceremony where one offers their weapon or most treasured possession to their lord, swearing lifelong loyalty to that person. In this world, knights often offer their swords to princesses, and it frequently appears in fairy tales.”

“Lifelong loyalty…”

I glanced at Yuuka and Aoi on either side of me, and they quickly averted their gazes. So everyone’s mysterious declarations apparently had meaning in this world after all.

…But I never heard anything about lifelong loyalty. No matter how you look at it, that’s just a fairy tale thing, right?

“Um, setting aside that loyalty, is it okay for me to understand it as you’ll cooperate with me when something comes up in the future?”

“Of course! I swear to use every ounce of my royal authority to ward off any trouble that threatens Kakeru-kun! If there’s anything else you need, just say so—royalty has plenty of money and connections, after all. So please, I beg you to continue providing me with Japanese manga in the future!”

“……”

He’s refreshingly faithful to his own desires… Well, for my part, being able to use royal authority is extremely welcome.

Moreover, while Rain-san’s Unique Skill isn’t suited for combat, it can be incredibly useful depending on how it’s used. Since he can apparently detect malice directed not only at himself but at others as well, if he accompanies us to discussions with Blessed Ones, we can have him confirm whether that Blessed One harbors malice toward us.

It’s undoubtedly a reliable Unique Skill to have as an ally. I’ve already confirmed with Yuuka and Aoi earlier that there’s no problem in making him our companion.

“Understood. I look forward to working with you in the future.”

Having successfully formed an alliance with Rain, we discussed future matters. Incidentally, he wants me to call him by his name without honorifics. Of course, I’ll use honorifics when others are around, but otherwise I’ll call him by name like Yuuka and Aoi as he wishes. He’s royalty, so there’s a different kind of tension compared to calling those two by name…

Regarding funds for purchasing manga, since currently I have to procure them at flea markets, I’ll be the one going. In exchange, Rain will prepare all the goods to be sold at Japanese flea markets.

I informed him of the items we prepared last time that sold well, and he seems ready to prepare them by tomorrow. In exchange for my trouble of selling at flea markets and purchasing manga, he says we can use the Japanese money earned to buy whatever we need. Going around markets in the other world looking for saleable items is somewhat fun, but it takes quite a lot of time, so this helps.

“Hmm, won’t everyone just live in the royal capital together? I’d prepare a spacious mansion where you can live safely…”

“We don’t need that. The royal capital has more people, which means more trouble and danger.”

“With magic tools, safety isn’t an issue.”

Then Rain made a proposal for us to move to the royal capital. He was quite serious about preparing a mansion near the royal castle, but his true purpose was probably just to enjoy manga purchased from Japan more quickly.

We declined this proposal. Part of it’s that Aoi isn’t good with crowded places, but to be honest, I also find the image of living in the royal capital a bit stifling.

It’s fun to visit as a tourist, but for long-term living, a normal town is better. It’s similar to how I’d feel if asked whether I want to live in central Tokyo.

“We can make a round trip to the town of Berlia in just two days with a Magic Bag, so we’ll manage with that for now. Even so, using monsters for delivery—this other world really is something else.”

Going forward, we’ll have goods for flea markets sent here in a Magic Bag, and return manga to the royal castle. Thanks to bird-type monsters flying through the sky, the journey to the royal capital that takes two days even by Sleipnir carriage can be done in just one day each way, two days total. The Adventurers’ Guild Master apparently used this to send that request letter. No wonder the communication was so fast.

“I guess it can’t be helped. But if you ever want to live in the royal capital, just let me know anytime.”

“We’ll consult you then. By the way, you mentioned earlier that you were gathering information on Blessed Ones—are there other Blessed Ones like Yuuka and Aoi who have lingering attachments to Japan and are searching for a way back?”