The Duke's Cookies
The carriage interior was more spacious than I'd expected. Plush seats lined both walls, and thin curtains were tied back from the windows. A subtle fragrance wafted from the fabric covering the ceiling and walls—not floral, not spicy, but something luxurious.
'Oh, nice smell.'
I leaned back into the seat, my back sinking in comfortably.
'...This is comfy.'
It felt different from the cars in my past life. The softness wasn't half bad. I rested my arm on the window sill and peered outside. Voices drifted in from beyond the window.
The knight captain approached first with his report. The formation was disrupted; a few magic circles had burst. Walter issued brief orders, and the knight captain withdrew. At the rear of the procession, three beast contractor nobles huddled in discussion. When Walter approached, they bowed their heads and exchanged low words. After a moment, he said something curt, and the three fell silent before stepping back.
Walter returned to the carriage and sat across from me. His hand lingered a bit as he adjusted the hem of his overcoat.
"When do we depart?"
"...Thanks to you, the formation's in disarray. We need some time to regroup. Please wait just a moment."
"Sure."
I glanced out the window again. Knights were rushing about, and mages were erasing the magic circles drawn on the ground. No magic beasts in sight. I'd heard from Kaelion once—human knight orders had a lot of beast contractors.
'Oh, right. Beast contractors.'
Even from afar before boarding the carriage, I'd sensed magic beast auras mixed into the mana of a few in the delegation. Walter's mana was one of them.
'But he's a duke, right?'
I turned to look at him.
"Hey, if you're a duke, that's pretty high up, yeah?"
Walter paused as he adjusted the knot of his overcoat. His gaze flicked my way.
"...Among humans, yes, it's fairly high. Why do you ask?"
"Then you must know the ins and outs of the empire."
"...To some extent."
"What about the hero who was just born? You know about him?"
The air in the carriage stiffened ever so slightly. Walter's eyes narrowed briefly before returning to normal.
"...You mean the hero?"
"Yeah. Which country was he born in?"
A short silence.
"That's classified. I can't tell you."
"Just curious. Tell me."
"...I can't tell a magic beast."
Magic beast. The moment the word hit my ears, a sliver of my mana leaked out unintentionally. It wasn't on purpose. But it pissed me off more than it should have. The air in the carriage grew heavy.
'...Huh?'
I could see the color drain from Walter's face. His fingertips trembled on the armrest. Outside was the same—mages and knights with weaker mana collapsed as if fainting, and the summoned magic beasts panicked, slamming their heads into the ground.
'...Mana leaked. Why?'
I took a deep breath and reined it back in. The air in the carriage slowly eased. Walter, sweat beading on his forehead, caught his breath.
"...Thank you for withdrawing your killing intent."
I spoke first.
"...Sorry. Wasn't on purpose. I won't ask about the hero anymore."
Walter gave a short bow of his head.
"Thank you for understanding."
Short silence. Walter glanced out the window. A few had collapsed, and some magic beasts still hadn't recovered.
"...I'll go sort things out. Please wait a moment."
"Yeah."
Walter opened the door and stepped out. Once it closed, the carriage fell quiet. I propped my chin on the window sill and watched outside. His voice carried faintly through the window—issuing commands, checking status. It went on for a while.
'...But seriously, why did the mana leak?'
I replayed the moment. The instant he said "magic beast," my body reacted on its own.
'It's not a great word, but is one term enough to set me off like that?'
Seemed like my body had gotten more sensitive since my core grew.
'...Gotta be careful.'
Walter closed the carriage door and took a short breath. His fingertips still trembled on the armrest. He consciously relaxed. He needed to organize what he'd just witnessed.
A single fragment of mana had felled half the delegation. Just the uncontrolled aftermath did this. Her true power was impossible to gauge.
'...She really is a divine beast.'
Maybe more. Now he understood the cautious phrasing in the polite messages from the elf king. And this being he'd just prodded might one day cross paths with Rudger.
The oracle had designated his newborn son as the hero. As he grew, he'd draw the eyes of the strong. Whether contract or clash, an encounter with a divine beast-level existence was inevitable.
'...Enemy or ally?'
The test just now was the first step. Walter lightly wiped the cold sweat from his brow with the back of his hand.
For now, don't provoke. At least not during this delegation stay. First, gauge the temperament and preferences of this being called Nox.
A small box in his subspace pocket came to mind. Something he'd packed before departure, after the elf king's communication. A gift prepared for encountering the World Tree's resident.
'...Time to use that box.'
He gave brief instructions to the waiting knight captain, then headed back to the carriage.
By the time Walter returned, quite some time had passed. Fatigue showed on his face, but his eyes were steady. The carriage began moving slowly as he sat. The rhythmic rumble of wheels over stones rose up.
I kept my eyes on the window the whole time, not turning toward him.
'...Won't tell me about the hero, huh.'
I'd apologized, but curiosity was curiosity. I flicked a glance his way, then turned back. The carriage rolled on quietly.
What came next was weird. We traveled far, but not a single magic beast appeared.
"Your Excellency. What in the world...?"
The knight captain rode up beside the carriage and murmured.
"...I have my suspicions. Pretend you don't know."
"Understood."
I pretended to look out the window while stifling a laugh. I'd let a bit of mana seep from the carriage, and the magic beasts in the roadside woods sensed it, huddling in hiding.
'...Hiding on their own.'
About half a day's ride from the Elf Kingdom. The carriage mood was still heavy. I didn't change my chin-propped pose.
"...Ahem."
Walter reached into his subspace pocket and pulled out a small box wrapped in soft cloth. He opened the lid. Small round cookies of different colors lay neatly inside, cream sandwiched between pairs, peeking at the edges. Nine in total.
Walter offered the box my way.
"...Would you like to try some?"
I gave it a disinterested glance.
"Nah, not hungry."
I turned back to the window. The lid stayed open. A sweet aroma slowly filled the carriage.
'...What is that.'
A familiar scent tickled my nose.
'No... but it feels like I've smelled it somewhere.'
Soft and sweet, like something from my past life. My gaze drifted to the box. My mouth watered.
'...Maybe just one.'
My sulk eased a bit before the smell. I glanced at Walter—he was looking out the window, pretending not to notice.
'...Whatever.'
I reached for a pink one and took a bite. The outer cookie crunched crisply, and the cream melted softly on my tongue, filling my mouth with sweetness. Not cloying.
'...Tasty.'
Next, a yellow one. Another bite—richer sweetness.
'Oh, this one's good too.'
From the third, I ate silently. Walter nudged the box closer. I glanced at him, then took another.
When it was half empty, I spoke.
"I'll forgive you for not telling me about the hero earlier."
Walter gave a short bow.
"...Thank you."
I grabbed another. Tiny flower petal bits in the cream caught on my tongue.
"But you have a beast contract, right?"
Walter opened his mouth quietly.
"...How did you know?"
"Yeah, your mana has a magic beast scent mixed in. Obvious at a glance."
Walter paused briefly, then nodded.
"...Impressive."
"What'd you contract?"
"A griffon."
"Griffon?"
"One of the top-tier magic beasts."
"First time hearing it. Show me later."
Walter started to reply, then hesitated a beat. His eyes drifted afar, then returned.
"...Understood. I'll introduce you later."
"Cool. Looking forward to it."
As Walter watched Nox eat the cookies, a torrent of gruff telepathy poured into his ear.
The griffon's waves thrummed wildly from inside his overcoat.
Walter took a short breath.
'Sorry.'
'Just this once, understand. If I refuse here, it'll sour her mood. I don't want more issues.'
'You felt it too. That we can't handle her.'
It took a while, but the grumbling subsided.
'Thanks.'
I picked up the next cookie. The carriage kept rolling. The forest outside thinned out sporadically. Before I knew it, the box was nearly empty from munching along the way.
"What are these cookies made of?"
Walter pondered briefly.
"Flour from the empire's south mixed with flower cream. A common noble snack in the empire."
"Common?"
"In noble houses, yes."
'Noble snack.'
We rode on a while longer until the Elf Kingdom appeared in the distance. World Tree roots cradled the city, sunlight filtering through leaves to illuminate streets amid buildings of wood and stone.
"We're nearly there."
Walter said, gazing out. I took the last one from the box and popped it in. Chewing, I looked outside.
'...Been a while.'
The carriage entered past the walls. Elf guards lined the gates, saluting the delegation. Walter gave a brief bow through the window. The procession moved steadily through the city toward the palace. Residents gathered along the roadsides to gawk. A few peeked at the carriage, but the interior seemed hard to see from outside.
The palace entrance neared. Doors stood wide, elf knights arrayed before it. Kaiyel stood at the front, hand on chest in formal welcome.
The carriage pulled into the palace courtyard and stopped. Walter opened the door and alighted first. I followed.
My feet hit the stone floor, a slight chill rising.
Kaiyel stepped forward toward Walter, hand on chest for formal greeting. He started to bow—then spotted me right beside Walter. He froze solid.
His hand hung in midair. His head, half-lowered, locked up. His eyes widened once, then again.
"...D-D-Divine Beast?!"
Kaiyel's voice was an octave higher than usual.
"H-How with the humans...?!"
"Hey, Kaiyel."
Kaiyel flicked his gaze: Walter once, me once, the delegation behind once. His face screamed confusion. His mouth hung half-open, refusing to close.
Walter stepped forward and bowed politely.
"We thank the Elf Kingdom for its hospitality, General."
Kaiyel reflexively started to bow, but his eyes shot back to me. His head halted at an awkward angle.
"...Y-Yes, but... how is the Divine Beast...?"
"Came together. Surprised?"
Kaiyel's eyes widened once more.