Meeting His Imperial Majesty (4)
Meeting His Imperial Majesty (4)
Once I began the massage, the Kaiserin reacted to the healing potion—intensely so.
Something was plainly wrong with the Empress's constitution.
'So if I restore her stamina... wait.'
No matter how many potions I used, the Empress's complexion remained pale. It was like trying to fill a bottomless vessel.
Had the potion not worked? No. The moment I checked through the Status Window, I saw its effectiveness plummet. That was proof enough.
After working the Empress's body over, this was the conclusion I reached.
'...Is her HP Regeneration stat absurdly negative?'
At first I wondered if she was under a curse that dealt continuous damage...
But if it were some low-grade curse like that, there was no way the priests would have failed to resolve it. And if she had been taking damage all this time, the frail Empress should have perished long ago.
Anything that registered as dealing damage, like a curse, was not the cause.
Ruling out all of those left only one explanation: HP Regeneration.
If you assumed that the stat which restored HP every moment was in a massively negative state, the Empress's current physical condition made sense.
No matter how many potions or healing spells she received, her stamina would soon drop back to the bare minimum of 1. She would have to live on 1 stamina, which explained her constant lack of energy. A single tap could likely finish her off.
I could see why the Empress seemed so lifeless, as if she might keel over at any moment.
Having deduced the cause of the Empress's chronic ailment, I began searching for a solution.
The first thing that came to mind was augmenting her regeneration with an artifact. But that was practically impossible.
I estimated the Empress's regeneration was in a frighteningly negative state. I could not even gauge how many artifacts would be needed to offset it. Most likely not enough, even if I procured artifacts for every article of clothing down to her underwear.
I pondered this conundrum for a moment...
'Oh. Come to think of it, there was that.'
"Your Majesty. Would you care to hold this?"
Mark of a Manly Man. Finds a solution, somehow.
Having recalled an artifact that could resolve this situation, I retrieved it from Mother's subspace pouch and held it out.
A staff I had asked Nibuer to procure for when I became an adventurer, only to toss it straight into storage the moment I saw it in person.
Behold, the 'Magical Girl Wand.'
* * * * * *
A pink rod. An adorably cutesy heart affixed to its tip.
To Ryu Si-u's eyes, it looked like the kind of childish toy little girls played with.
The Empress, wand in hand, visibly brightened. My expression, in inverse proportion to hers, darkened.
'Wasn't Her Majesty in her forties? Ugh. This is painful to watch.'
Even if the Empress was beautiful... she was a woman past forty. What sort of expression was I supposed to make, watching a pink-haired middle-aged woman delight over a magical girl wand?
When the Empress, feeling markedly lighter, asked what on earth this was, I answered with utmost sincerity.
I explained the state of her regeneration, that ordinary artifacts could not solve it, and why this wand could address the Empress's problem.
[While this item is in use, HP Regeneration becomes 0. MP is naturally regenerated by the amount of HP Regeneration reduced.]
This wand was an item that regenerated mana instead of stamina. In the Empress's current situation, mana would probably drain away in place of her stamina.
But what use was mana to an Empress who was neither a swordswoman nor a mage?
Hearing my explanation that she would be fine so long as she carried this, the Empress's eyes lit up.
"It is a tale not easily believed, and yet Our body has mended as if by miracle—leaving Us no choice but to trust it. Remarkable, Yunes."
"...Yes."
"As for why Our regeneration had diminished so... Erengard, We entrust the investigation to you. There is no one else We can rely upon."
"Yes."
Vitality returned to the Empress's voice, and strength resounded in it.
...But perhaps because of the magical girl wand in her hand.
To me, she did not seem like a majestic Empress who had finally regained her health, but rather a pitiful woman who, at her age, still played with little girls' toys.
"So. You are telling Us to keep holding this?"
"I believe so. I do not know why your regeneration has declined, but you will likely need to keep holding it until that issue is resolved."
"Is that so. While bathing. While sleeping. While governing the realm. We shall keep it on Our person at all times. We must take it with Us to the upcoming Founding Festival commemorative speech as well."
"......Ah."
Watching the Empress sound almost buoyant, I could not bring myself to continue and stared downward.
The Empress bathing while holding that thing. The Empress sleeping while hugging that thing. The Empress working while clutching that thing.
Simply imagining those scenes made a part of my heart ache.
"Indeed. Yunes, is there something you desire? Speak freely. We shall grant you a reward."
"A reward is unnecessary, so... how about draping a cloth over that wand? I am, well, concerned that it might tarnish Your Imperial Majesty's dignity."
"Hm? What need is there to conceal such a mysterious and beautiful artifact? We believe it suits Us rather well."
"......If it pleases Your Majesty."
I had suggested covering it with a cloth, if only for the Empress's dignity, but she was fonder of it than I had expected. I could not press the issue further and bowed my head deeply.
If she thought it was pretty and liked it, I could hardly say, 'I'm so embarrassed for you, so please cover it up when you go out.'
In contrast to me, who shut my eyes tight under an inexpressible, complicated sentiment, the Empress stroked the magical girl wand with an enraptured expression.
"Truly... the more I look upon it, the more beautiful it is. It feels as though it was made for Me."
"Oh, lord. I can't even..."
Thus was born the Magical Empress Girl (in her forties), who would henceforth carry the magical girl wand at all official functions.
* * * * * *
The Empress, Kaiserin, had concluded her private audience with Erengard and Yune.
Alone in the meeting room, she gazed at the wand in her hand.
Oddly, the wand had thoroughly captivated her—and it had resolved her health problem in a single stroke.
She resolved to treasure this wand from now on.
Soon after, she began contemplating how to keep the wand on her person at all times. Holding it constantly would surely prove extremely inconvenient.
'...It appears a certain amount of surface area must directly touch the skin, so I cannot carry it in a pocket. Troublesome.'
After a moment of thought, she abruptly lifted the wand and nestled it into her cleavage.
The wand slid down until the heart-shaped ornament caught against her chest and stopped.
She moved her body a few times, just as she was.
'...When I am dressed, I can wear it like this.'
Watching the wand stay in place even during fairly vigorous movements, she decided she would carry it tucked into her cleavage from now on.
Had Yune, with Ryu Si-u's memories, witnessed this, he would have lamented, 'What do you think you're doing to the childhood innocence of fifty million children?'
But she instead thought that her appearance 'emphasized femininity and looked splendid.'
Having resolved to carry the magical girl wand in her bosom,
she rubbed a finger over the heart-shaped gem peeking out from her cleavage and sank into contemplation.
The subject of that contemplation was Yune.
'...To refuse even when offered a reward.'
Normally, presenting such a rare item warranted a commensurate reward.
Kaiserin had naturally asked Yune what he wanted as a reward...
But Yune, as though unaware of the item's value, had even declined the reward and instead suggested that 'it might mar Your Imperial Majesty's dignity, so how about covering it with a cloth?'
Hearing that, she thought,
This little child does not realize how great a deed he has done. He has practically saved the Empress's life. And yet he refuses a reward and worries about me instead.
'Loyalty befitting Erengard's son... but I cannot simply refrain from bestowing a reward.'
But she could not leave him unrewarded.
She believed that the loyalty of one's vassals must be repaid with appropriate compensation.
Inwardly, she began to ponder what reward to grant Yune.
'A betrothal with Isabella... no. The position of the next Prince Consort must not be decided so lightly.'
She had even considered an engagement between Yune and Isabella, her only daughter and the de facto successor, the Crown Princess.
But she soon shook her head. The Prince Consort, husband of the Crown Princess, was a position selected only after rigorous vetting by high society. Even she, the Empress, could not arbitrarily appoint the next Prince Consort.
Yet the more she thought about it, the more appealing the prospect became.
'A marriage between the sole youngest son of the Grand Ducal House and the Crown Princess. Is that not a match of considerable standing?'
She had not considered it because she knew Yune was already engaged to another noble young lady. But in truth, no other young lord possessed a status as fitting for the position of Prince Consort as Yune.
There were tangible benefits as well.
If the youngest son of the Grand Ducal House became the Empress's husband, the Grand Ducal House of Nordkirchen, already pro-imperial, would truly become the Empress's right arm. And this would undoubtedly lead to a strengthening of imperial authority.
The Noble Faction would try to block it by any means necessary, of course.
'...Very well. If Isabella takes a liking to him at this ball, I shall consider it seriously.'