The Prime Minister's Summons
The request wasn't from the Special Task Force this time. It was an ordinary class, the kind I hadn't had in a while. The moment the lecture ended, I stood up, thinking I might as well practice some new spells. That's when Professor Neville Brix from the Department of Magic suddenly dropped this on me.
"Go to the capital."
"Pardon?"
"I said, go to the capital, Chrome Midas."
The black-haired man in his mid-thirties, with his hair slicked back, delivered the order in a completely indifferent tone, as if my stunned expression was none of his concern. How many students had those cold, emotionless words sent straight to hell? The kind of guy who wouldn't bleed even if you stabbed him... No, that's not the point.
"Professor, even if you cut out half the words and just blurt it out like that, I can't possibly understand what you're saying."
"Is that so? From what I've observed, you seem to grasp the full picture even when only a fraction of the situation is revealed."
His sharp, probing gaze made me feel oddly guilty. I waved my hand dismissively.
"That was just a lucky guess. I'd appreciate it if you could explain the reason instead."
"Hmm. Very well, let's go with that."
It seemed he'd only been testing me and had no intention of pressing further. Professor Neville smoothly changed the subject.
"It's a summons from His Excellency the Prime Minister. I don't know the details, but he specifically requested to meet with you. The capital isn't that far, so if you leave right away, you should arrive by this evening."
The Prime Minister of the Barhart Empire? Why would someone like him want to see me? A flood of question marks popped up in my head, but first things first.
"Wait, hold on. Even if you suddenly spring something like this on me, I have my own schedule and preparations to—"
"Complaining to me won't change anything. In two hours, someone will be waiting for you at the main gate. Don't be late."
Having said his piece, Professor Neville turned and left without mercy. All I could do was stare blankly at his retreating back.
It was an absurd situation, but I couldn't exactly ignore it. The Academy was a special environment, and the three representative professors had an attitude of Status? What's that? Just shut up and follow my class properly. That let me act a bit brazen even toward nobles. But this was different. The Prime Minister of the Empire held more influence than most members of the imperial family. Even the King of the Spero Kingdom would have to clear his schedule if the Prime Minister called—though of course, the Prime Minister wouldn't summon a vassal king's ruler so rudely. So how could I possibly refuse?
Honestly, with Thoth's Bag able to hold just about anything, I didn't need to pack separately. I gave Ligret and Fiore a brief explanation of the situation and asked,
"Why do you think he called for me?"
Fiore hummed thoughtfully before answering.
"You made quite the impression in the Eastern Army, right? Maybe it's because of that?"
"Then shouldn't they have called me too?"
"That's true, but... perhaps there are multiple reasons, and big brother is connected to one of them?"
It was a rather vague guess coming from Fiore, but even with her sharp mind, there wasn't much to go on without more information. This was probably the limit.
Ligret asked bluntly, "You sure it's okay if I don't come with you?"
"Neville pulled me out of class, but you're not in the same situation, so it can't be helped."
Besides, Ligret usually only came along when brute force was needed. What possible reason would there be to swing a sword around in the imperial capital? Well, there might be one later, but for now it should be fine. At least while the Emperor was still alive and well.
"It'll probably be nothing. I haven't done anything bad."
At my words, the two of them exchanged glances, then spoke in perfect unison.
"Big brother isn't exactly what I'd call a heinous criminal, but if you ask whether he has no sins at all... well..."
"He's committed so many without even realizing it that he might lack self-awareness."
Hey, what? Why? What the hell?
"Come on, even I live a relatively decent—"
The moment I tried to protest, my communication magic tool let out a sharp beep. This signal... Loto? Did something happen?
"Stop it? Why would we? They bought them with their own money. Whether they beat drums or play gongs with them afterward is their business. Just ignore it."
"But..."
"It's fine, I'm telling you. I'm hanging up now."
I ended the call and turned back to the two of them.
"So, where were we?"
Ligret and Fiore answered immediately.
"If you get arrested, we'll at least testify that Loto was just being used. Have a safe trip."
"Good luck, big brother. I'll come visit you later."
Why are you two jinxing me like that? ...You are jinxing me, right?
With that uneasy feeling lingering, I headed to the Academy's main gate. Instead of the expected escort, a group of men suddenly burst from the bushes and surrounded me, shouting,
"Criminal Chrome Midas! We arrest you for releasing forbidden knowledge upon the world! Come quietly!"
"Please wait! This is unfair! Even if it wasn't me, someone would have spread those business practices sooner or later!"
—Thankfully, that ridiculous scene never happened. The era was completely different, after all.
But the person waiting for me was indeed unexpected. It was none other than Princess Lyla.
She was sitting inside an elegant carriage, apparently waiting for someone. When I appeared, she looked puzzled and asked,
"Huh? Chrome, what are you doing here?"
"That's what I'd like to ask... I heard your previous request took longer than expected, so you couldn't attend class."
"The request ended a long time ago. I only kept the official status for personal reasons."
I explained what Professor Neville had told me. The princess finally seemed to understand and smiled.
"I was told to bring one extra person on my way up to the imperial palace. So it was you."
As Lyla said, aside from her own carriage, a smaller one had been prepared. Wait, what kind of escort is this? It's like hitching a ride in the cargo bed of a fancy truck!
"It's not that far, and since we're already acquainted, there's no need to travel separately. Just ride with me in my carriage, Chrome."
A few of the escort knights frowned at her words, but none of them objected. Well, when she put it like that, there was no point in stubbornly insisting on taking a separate ride.
"Then I'll gratefully accept your kindness."
As expected of a carriage used by the imperial family, the interior was incredibly comfortable. The Midas family operated some extravagantly expensive vehicles, but in this era, there were many master craftsmen who couldn't be hired with money alone. The Mars Workshop that handled Ligret's weapons was a perfect example. Many noble houses or factions either exclusively employed specific artisans or raised them from the beginning.
Just like cars in my previous life, carriages were a way to display the rider's wealth and power. If the imperial family's carriage were on the same level as that of a wealthy merchant from a vassal kingdom, it would cause all sorts of problems.
Princess Lyla spoke up.
"I heard about your achievements in the Eastern Army. The Eastern Legion Commander, famous for his peculiar personality, gave you quite the high praise, didn't he?"
"Ah—well, I just got lucky. Honestly, Ligret did most of the fighting anyway."
All I really did was throw around a few debuffs and create a stepping stone right before the finish. I wouldn't say I had zero contribution to the victory, but I certainly hadn't done enough to deserve such extravagant evaluation.
"You're rather modest in your self-assessment, Chrome. In the end, it was you who supported her until she became that strong."
"That's just division of labor. I'm clumsy in direct combat, but I'm quite capable in that area. Speaking of which, did the recipe I gave you last time prove helpful?"
"Yes. It looks like my mana capacity will soon reach 9,000."
"Heh, that's good to... wait, what?"
Nine thousand? The growth rate was way too fast, wasn't it? No matter how effective the mana-boosting foods were, the body needed time to adapt. In less than half a year, reaching even half that amount should have been the limit.
"Did you... use some other recipe by chance?"
At my question, the princess tilted her head.
"No. I used exactly what you said: the roots of daffodils grown in nature under snowfall, large black-capped mushrooms, and the wax of red bees. Was there a problem?"
"There's no problem, but the effect seems much stronger than when I used it."
What was going on? Was this a constitution thing too? It was strange, but more effect was hardly a bad thing. Still, I should check just to be safe.
"I'd like to ask a favor, Lady Lyla. Please stop using the recipe I gave you for about a week and observe your body's condition. If your mana still increases, there might be another reason."
"The supply of daffodils was getting difficult anyway, so this works out perfectly. By the way, Chrome. May I ask you one thing?"
Hm? Why did she suddenly look so serious?
"Of course. Please ask, Lady Lyla."
At my reply, she opened her mouth.
"What do you think about the activities of the Empire's Ranger Unit?"