Chapter 134: Going to Meet the Lord of “Nosa Town”

“Also… as a less important matter, it says here that you have been appointed lord of ‘Nosa Town’ and the surrounding region,”

The Demon Lord Rukie continued, holding a piece of parchment.

“Huh? Princess Sophia… has become a lord?”

“Yes. To be precise, it seems that ‘Nosa Town became the domain of Archduke Kharon, and a part of it was entrusted to her,'”

Rukie nodded in response to my question.

“However, the detailed circumstances are not written. Therefore, I want you to go and hear the story from Thor.”

Princess Sophia has become the lord of ‘Nosa Town.’

Honestly, I was surprised.

Indeed, Princess Sophia has the ability and popularity, so it wouldn’t be strange for her to become a lord — if the Empire were a country that valued abilities beyond fighting and placed people accordingly.

But the Empire is not that kind of country.

So, probably Archduke Kharonis involved in this.

That person is an ally of Princess Sophia, but he is also a duke of the Empire.

He may have taken measures to protect Princess Sophia and to keep her as a resource within the Empire.

“I understand regarding the meeting with Princess Sophia.”

I bowed my head to Demon Lord Rukie.

“From now, I will head to ‘Nosa Town’ and inquire about the important matter.”

“Please do. Princess Sophia is a good neighbor, and ‘Nosa Town’ is the closest human town. Both pieces of information are important.”

“Understood. Although, I feel it might not be a very serious matter.”

I said.

“If it were bad news or an emergency, Princess Sophia would have sent information through the winged fairies. Since that has not happened, I think it is important but not serious.”

“Indeed. I agree as well.”

“The representative of the Demon Lord Territory will also attend the meeting, right?”

“Agnis will be there.”

“And the fact that a representative of the Demon Lord Territory will attend means that this is an official meeting between Princess Sophia and the representative of the Demon Lord Territory.”

Chancellor Kelve said.

“Princess Sophia probably wants to convey an important matter in an official meeting.”

“What do you think about the content of the information, Kelve?”

“Maybe news about a new magical beast in the border area, or Archduke Kharon or Princess Liana might come to the border area again, or perhaps movements of the Empire’s soldiers… something around there.”

“I see. Then it makes sense to have an official meeting.”

Rukie, with a demon lord style, nodded.

“If it was just talking with Thor, they would use the bathhouse at the trading post.”

“I agree.”

“The secret room of the ‘Shuwa shuwa Bath,’ right?”

“…Yes.”

“I’m surprised that the Empire’s princess peeks into the secret room every time she takes a bath.”

Rukie and Chancellor Kelve stared intently at me.

They must have read the ‘Water Summoner’ report…

Anonymous Princess S was so impressed that she passionately talked about the ‘Shuwa shuwa Bath.’

Although I had never heard that someone peeks into the secret room every time she takes a bath.

“Now, I order alchemist Thor Canaan,”

Rukie cleared her throat, as if trying to change the atmosphere—

“Since you will be accompanied by a guard, you should head to the Reisenga territory with Mabel. After that, meet Agnis and have a meeting with Princess Sophia in ‘Nosa Town.'”

“Understood.”

I replied, still kneeling.

“I will meet Princess Sophia together with Agnis and hear the detailed story from her.”

“Good. I count on you, Thor.”

“Thank you very much, Thor-sama.”

Thus, I was to make a short journey to ‘Nosa Town.’

“So, Mabel’s ‘unconventional type “security buzzer” combined with “dryer” combined with “water spirit stone pendant cover”‘ will be completed a little later. Sorry about that.”

“No, no! No need to rush, Thor-sama.”

That afternoon,

Mabel and I were preparing for the trip in the room.

Though it was just packing everything needed into a ‘super small simple warehouse’ item, so it wasn’t a hassle. Items like ‘simple warehouse’ let you carry almost all household goods.

But during the trip, time for alchemy would also decrease.

I really wanted to take a long time to make items for Mabel.

That item uses a ‘rainbow-colored magic stone’—a precious material. I cannot afford failure.

The steps to make it were decided, but I want to work on it in a calm environment.

So, I will make it after returning.

“Thor-sama, since you have an important mission entrusted by Her Majesty, it’s natural to prioritize that.”

“But Mabel is also important.”

“Eh!?”

“I’m making an item to protect my fiancée. For me, it’s just as important as Her Majesty’s mission. Isn’t that obvious?”

“Bu-but, Thor-sama, you have already given me a ‘security buzzer’ and a ‘dryer’ respectively…”

“That won’t be enough to protect Mabel.”

Grasp!

I placed my hands on Mabel’s shoulders.

She didn’t seem to understand, so I looked steadily into her eyes and spoke firmly.

“Certainly, the ‘personal alarm’ and the ‘hair dryer’ are powerful items. But there are times when both are not in Mabel’s hands, right?”

“T-Thor-sama… when you look at me so closely… ah, ah…”

“The truth is, I wanted to put a mechanism that shoots beams on Mabel’s pendant. But that would be dangerous if it malfunctioned, so I settled for the ‘personal alarm’ and the ‘hair dryer.’ The ‘hair dryer’ has a safety device, and it also plays an important role in styling Mabel’s hair.”

“…T-Thor-sama.”

“In any case, protecting Mabel is a top priority for me.”

“Th-thank you… Thor-sama.”

“Yeah. If possible, on this trip, I’d even prefer Mabel to stay in the Demon Lord’s castle—”

“…What did you just say?”

Clutch.

It happened suddenly.

This time, Mabel placed her hands on my shoulders.

“There’s no way I’m staying in the castle. I am Thor-sama’s attendant and fiancée. Besides, there must be things I can do during the journey.”

“Sure, Rukie-sama told me to promise to take Mabel along when entering the secret room of the fizzing bath… but—”

“That’s not what I mean. Being by Thor-sama’s side and taking care of him is my reason for living.”

Mabel whispered, staring intently at me.

“Just as Thor-sama tries to protect me, I want to be useful to Thor-sama. But… I can’t make magic items like Thor-sama. So, I want to serve you personally by your side.”

“…Mabel.”

“And there’s also Thor-sama’s health. If left alone, you’d probably skip meals and sleep and focus only on alchemy.”

“Do I really seem that incapable of taking care of myself?”

“……”

“Why do you silently smile so kindly?”

“Oh, it’s almost three o’clock. Time for a snack.”

“Um, Mabel, what about my answer?”

“Oh, right, the kitchen staff has apparently developed a new menu. Pancakes kneaded with fruit. Thanks to the ‘Water Summoner,’ work has gotten easier, so they said they’d make some for Thor-sama.”

“Y-yeah.”

“I’ll go get them right away. Thor-sama, please rest.”

“Got it. Also, about my ability to take care of myself—”

“Yes, Thor-sama?”

“I do have life skills, you know? When I was in the empire, I lived alone in a dormitory. I ate normally and cleaned too.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah. In the imperial capital, I rarely used alchemy and had spare time.”

“…I see.”

“That’s right. I spent extra time organizing the warehouse or reading historical books in the government archives… but when I returned to my room, there was nothing else to do.”

“Thor-sama… so that was your life in the imperial capital.”

“Ah, you don’t have to look so serious.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. I’m happily living in the Demon Lord’s territory now.”

“I’d be glad if you could say that specifically.”

“Of course, it’s a fun life using a lot of alchemy. Talking with Mabel, meeting Rukie-sama—life is fulfilling. At night, I’m still researching and experimenting with alchemy repeatedly, and every day there isn’t enough time—”

…Ah, shoot.

Mabel nodded with a ‘just as I thought’ look.

I got caught on my words.

“Thor-sama.”

“Leading questions are cheating, aren’t they?”

“As your fiancée and family, I need to maintain Thor-sama’s health.”

Mabel took my hand, her eyes shining, and said that.

“If anything happens to Thor-sama, I would feel guilty toward Agnis-sama, Princess Sophia, and the other fiancées. Among the fiancées, I am ‘Thor-sama’s health caretaker.’”

“When did the roles get assigned!?”

“By the way, Agnis-sama is ‘Thor-sama’s bodyguard.’”

“And it actually makes sense…”

“So, Thor-sama, please make up your mind and let me take care of you.”

“Is that okay?”

“It is. Taking care of Thor-sama is my happiness… and there are still so many things I want to do…”

I see.

Just as I want to protect Mabel, Mabel wants to take care of me.

Well then, it can’t be helped.

“Alright. Mabel. Let’s go together.”

“Yes, Thor-sama.”

“But only up to the border forest.”

“As an elf, I stand out in ‘Nosa town’…”

“I’ll make new disguise items eventually.”

“Yes. I look forward to it.”

“Also, I’ll properly tell Mabel about Princess Sophia in my own words.”

Just in case, I plan to bring a “voice recorder.”

But Mabel seems to want me to convey important things with my own words.

Because it’s the wish of my fiancée. I’ll make it come true.

When I said that, Mabel—

“Thank you very much. Because I love hearing Lord Thor’s words.”

She showed me a beaming smile.

The next day. Mabel and I set out for the Reisenga territory together with the escort soldiers.

During the journey, nothing happened.

Fairy pixies with wings came to talk when they spotted the carriage.

According to them, people are gathering in the town of Nosa.

Probably related to Princess Sofia becoming the lord of the territory.

But because more people have come, even the winged fairies find it harder to approach the town.

They’re all shy, so it can’t be helped.

So, we hurried the carriage more than usual—

Talking occasionally with the gathering pixies—

And just like that, we safely arrived at Reisenga’s mansion.

“We have been waiting for you, Thor-sama!”

“Finally… we were able to meet.”

At the mansion’s front stood General Reisenga and Agnis waiting.

The general wore his usual armor, and Agnis was in casual clothes to be ready to move immediately.

When we got off the carriage, the general nodded and said,

“Thor-sama, you must go to the town of Nosa immediately, right?”

“Yes. I want to hear from Princess Sofia as soon as possible.”

“…I see. That’s unfortunate.”

General Reisenga hung his head deeply.

“I wanted to hold an engagement announcement party for Thor-sama and Agnis.”

“…Eh?”

“I desired the engagement of my Agnis and Thor-sama, and Thor-sama accepted. Even Her Majesty the Demon Lord approved. Naturally, it must be celebrated greatly, right?”

“F-Father!? Now is not the time…”

“I understand. But in truth, I wanted to hold a festival for the whole territory. To parade Thor-sama and Agnis in a carriage, announcing the engagement to everyone. Then enter the mansion and hold a grand banquet gathering the ministers. To talk about how you two met, and Agnis’s feelings—”

“…Father?”

Agnis tightly grabbed the general’s arm.

Agnis smiled calmly, letting the “Health Promotion Pendant” shine,

“I told you before, we won’t do things like that.”

“I-I understand. We can’t provoke the empire’s princess, after all. So, that’s why we decided on a private party. I understand, Agnis.”

“…I’m glad you understand, Father.”

“I am also a general of the Demon Lord’s territory. I won’t make national decisions based on emotions.”

Saying that, General Reisenga gave a wry smile.

Then he looked toward me and said,

“I will accompany you to the border region. I plan to wait in the forest for your and Agnis’s return. Meanwhile, I will guard Mabel and the others. Leave your fiancée’s protection to me, her stepfather, and you can focus on your duties without worry!”

General Reisenga nodded firmly.

After a while, we reached the border region forest.

We parted ways with Mabel and General Reisenga for the time being; Agnis and I headed to the town of Nosa.

Later, when we visited Princess Sofia’s mansion—

“Thor Canaan-sama and Agnis Freizad, right? I have heard about you.”

An unfamiliar girl stood in front of the mansion.

Her long chestnut hair was tied at the back of her neck.

She had a slender body.

Two short daggers were tucked at her waist.

She wore light armor.

Underneath, she wore long-sleeved clothes and pants covering down to her ankles.

She did not avert her gaze from Agnis and me, looking straight at us—

“I was entrusted by Archduke Kharon to guard Princess Sofia. My name is Dorothy Listan.”

“Nice to meet you. I am Thor Canaan.”

“I am Agnis Freizad…”

…Hmm?

Dorothy Listan…?

“Um… are you perhaps a relative of Archduke Kharon?”

“I am the daughter of a branch family of the Archduke.”

The ponytailed girl Dorothy nodded.

Then—

“By order of that Archduke, I have come. From now on, Captain Isaac’s ‘Omawarisan Unit’ will maintain town security, and my unit will protect Princess Sofia. Please be acquainted with us.”

The girl Dorothy gave a mischievous look and winked one eye.

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