Chapter 136: Snuff Powder

The reception set that Eugene had left… where am I supposed to put something like this?

Father and mother were spacing out, and my older sister—who could actually handle wealthy company—looked thoroughly exhausted.

“What are we supposed to do with this?”

“Maybe it was a bit of a mistake.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean… maybe the house is too big.”

“Of course it is! You should’ve bought according to our status!”

“But this was the only property available that suited our needs. For now, let’s use the room we’ve been calling the living room as a guest salon and just toss it in there. We can move the living room next door.”

“And where am I supposed to be?”

“You don’t want to be facing the entrance hall… the third floor is empty.”

“No way. The third floor? I’d be all alone when you’re not around!”

In the end, we decided to hire people to maintain the house, so everyone moved to the third floor. Big houses sure are a hassle.

The one good thing about the housewarming gift from Count Arklight was that he provided identification cards for the entire family.

IDs issued by the local lord are easy to use in Lynas and reasonably functional in other cities.

Father and mother were happy, noting they were more useful than the IDs from Duke Barland.

Because a big house requires staff, we hired three people besides Ted—through introductions from Ted and Scott—and two more to handle cleaning and odd jobs.

Ted’s pay was set at six gold coins, and he was put in charge of security.

On the surface, it looked like father had hired them, but I deposited the necessary funds into his account.

The pharmacist’s shop was ready, but after dinner, my sister—looking a bit down—said she wanted to discuss something.

“It’s unusual for you to consult me.”

“Well… it’s partly thanks to you. Since I got those kids, my skills have improved—I’m able to make better potions.”

“You’re not getting help from them?”

“No. If I ever need better potions than I can make now, I might ask for help. Otherwise, my skills wouldn’t improve, and it would defeat the purpose.”

“You’re not helping without permission, right?”

“Exactly. I’ve asked them not to help or interfere on their own. At night, though, we do play together.”

“Play…?”

“Like having them sit on my finger or bouncing them on my palm alternately. Also, when I release magical power as you taught me, I sometimes feel they enjoy it.”

Huh… so my sister plays with spirits at night. Weird.

“Well, that’s fine then. It’s the result of daily practice, right?”

“The problem is, it’s not entirely fine. The guildmaster praised my improved skill at first, but then kept nagging about paying back the costs during my training and other obligations. Recently, she even mentioned repayment for expenses when I first started working.”

“That old lady said that? That’s what house service was for, right? I mean, she worked you like crazy on a tiny wage while you lived there and helped with prep. And if your skill has improved, that contributes to the guild. The guildmaster I know lets skilled adventurers go independent once they’re ready.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Letting them go independent helps the guild, as they often become members afterward.”

“That’s what she says too… indirectly telling me to join the guild. And the way she says it is annoyingly subtle.”

“Subtle?”

“Yes. She implies that if you go independent, you’re free to make or break your reputation, without saying it outright. Lately, the guildmaster’s nastiness has become obvious.”

“Sis, just wave Count Arklight’s ID around. If necessary, have Eugene intervene. Actually, I’ll go with you to the guild soon.”

“What are you planning?”

“Using authority. Count Arklight is responsible for us at the Duke Berlant’s request. Also, when I jumped from in front of the house before, I ended up at the Count’s residence—that was about the mission. Eugene can’t refuse me, so if we play it right…”

Ever since seeing the royal banner, Eugene’s attitude changed completely.

“You’ve been out in the world for two years and haven’t become worse-tempered.”

“Well, yeah. A lot has happened, and magic has made me useful to many. Thanks to that, I could buy a house too.”

“Don’t do anything too weird.”

I won’t do anything too weird, but I might prepare an effective little snuff powder just in case.

“Your Majesty, are we stopping them before the Gilman Kingdom moves?”

“Yes. If we keep relying on Leon, the nobles will lose their sense of urgency.”

“But how?”

“I plan to hold a soirée.”

“A soirée…?”

“Yes, gathering envoys from various countries and nobles staying in Flangre. The pretext will be celebrating the success of the joint military exercises with the Bladen Kingdom.”

“I see… so we exploit the fact that the Gilman envoy is desperately trying to figure out why things are going smoothly despite almost clashing with us.”

“Exactly. Ask the Bladen envoy to cooperate in keeping up appearances.”

“He’s been quiet since Leon handled things. He’ll likely cooperate. Although I’ve heard a few minor concerns.”

“You mean about the king having private discussions with the Bladen King?”

“Yes. I think Leon can handle it.”

“They know he has no intention of going to war. If he wanted, he could become a noble tomorrow, but he’s choosing to remain an adventurer.”

Deciding which direction to go, I chose the closer one.

I told Ted I’d be gone about a week, exited through the attic, and flew toward Rosenne.

Changing course north from Roxanne, I reached a large rock before sunset. I hunted six Golden Goats and placed them into my magic bag.

Using a Rank 12-360 magic bag as a storage container, they should stay preserved for years.

At night, I summoned spirits inside a large dome, enjoying moon-viewing sake.

They were more colorful than fireflies, but against the starry sky and moonlight, they were slightly less impressive.

My sister had said she bounced them on her palm, but with so many, that’s impossible now.

Feeling slightly hungover, I flew toward the area where I previously saw the Shams. There they were.

Young birds taste best, so I carefully chose six, enclosed them in a Whirlwind!, and secured them inside the dome.

The Shams tried to attack, but I was prepared. After placing them in the magic bag, I used Hole Balloon! to contain them, then disappeared the dome and escaped using Rising Wind!

Hunting has become too easy since I can use whirlwinds, tornadoes, and fly. Normal beasts feel trivial now.

I’ve never been interested in hunting beasts anyway, so I let lower-rank adventurers handle them.

With the snuff powder prepared, I flew back toward Rosenne, then east along the Blange Road to land in Kreis.

Landing near the entrance gate, guards approached, but upon showing Duke Barland’s ID, they saluted and let me through.

I caught a passing carriage near the gate, giving instructions to go to the Duke Berlant residence.

Next time, it would be better to get permission to land directly at the estate or in front of the side gate.

At the side gate, I waited with the carriage, showed my ID, and requested an audience with Lord Nilbert. I was allowed in immediately.

Having visited several times before, he seemed to recognize me, though verification was still required—a strict rule.

Inside the entryway, Lord Nilbert hurried over.

“Lord Leon, how may I assist you?”

“I’ve captured something unusual and thought to bring it as a token of thanks for the ID I hold.”

“Something unusual?”

I tilted my head and explained, “Shams and Golden Goats,” which surprised him.

“Can you call a magic bag or storage mage?”

Lord Nilbert ran to the back, calling for someone. Soon, a woman who appeared to be a mage arrived and bowed to him.

“Elena, Lord Leon has provided Shams and Golden Goats. Please store them safely.”

As expected, a noble family would have skilled storage mages.

I handed over two Shams and two Golden Goats outside the entrance and excused myself.

Lord Nilbert tried to detain me, but I declined, in a hurry.

With two of each, the Duke would likely give one set to the royal family.

Before leaving, I confirmed that I could land outside the side gate in the future, got permission, sent the carriage back, and departed the estate.

Flying from Kreis directly to the royal capital Leclerec, I landed near the entrance and joined the adventurer passage—but made a minor mistake.

In the capital, I’d only landed at ducal estates before, so most people didn’t know I could fly.

This caused a minor commotion. Guards arrived, and I showed the ducal ID.

“Oh, you’re an adventurer. Reports say you’ve been flying.”

“Yes, I can fly. I also carry Duke Berlant’s ID. Of course, I’m an adventurer, so I came via this passage.”

“If it’s the duke’s ID, you may use the nobles’ passage.”

“No, I plan to visit the guild, so this passage is fine.”

No way. Using the nobles’ passage would attract attention from Nobles and jealousy from other adventurers.