What Plan Likes... Is It Me?
What Plan Likes... Is It Me?
"Hmm.... In the end, I didn't manage a single conversation with him."
Reilly, the Imperial Household's financial officer, sipped champagne to wet his throat. His face was full of regret.
"And arranging a separate appointment would be awkward, you see."
At that, a finance staff member beside him spoke up.
"Officer Reilly, please restrain yourself and let go of your lingering attachment. Honestly, pressing him for answers would be gauche."
"Pressing him for answers, nothing—I'm simply curious about the reason."
At Reilly's calm reply, the staff member bristled.
"You must consider your dignity. Abruptly grabbing hold of him and asking, 'Why did you hand over the gift the Imperial Household gave you to the Knight Department~'—the very act of asking that is thoroughly unseemly."
"I said I only want to know the reason."
Reilly calmed the staff member down and sipped his champagne again. At this rate, he seemed on the verge of getting tipsy.
'What could the reason be?'
In truth, the Imperial Household had sent a modest gift to the Magic Department as well. They had taken an interest in Plan.
Yet Plan had handed all of it over to the Knight Department. Rather than anger, Reilly merely wanted to hear the man's own thoughts on the matter.
Meanwhile, the staff member picked up a pastry and ate it. An unexpectedly superb flavor. Her shoulders trembled.
The staff member chewed the pastry and spoke. Perhaps thanks to the sweetness, her expression had already softened a little.
"Everyone seems to be in great shock. Well, to think that Plan of the Magic Department is siblings with Knight of Embers Scarlet...."
"There wouldn't be a single person who wouldn't be shocked upon hearing this news. Until when is the confidentiality oath with the press in effect?"
"The oath ends once the Subjugation Festival finals are over."
"Who exactly stands to gain then, I wonder. The older sister? Or the younger brother?"
Reilly, who had been murmuring thus, had his gaze land on Janet at some point.
Janet, the squad leader of Cheonchuk, was guarding Scarlet's side like a shadow, but she didn't look particularly pleased.
"The leader of Cheonchuk looks to be in a bad mood."
"Of course she does. Who in the world would be pleased to be called a pet?"
"Well.... That might not be entirely untrue. We, too, are practically nothing more than the Imperial Household's pet dogs."
"We're closer to slaves. And in the first place, a statement that hits the mark is all the more infuriating, don't you think?"
Cheonchuk, Blue Cloud, and so on.... There were always many cadet knight orders that the Imperial Household watched over with interest.
Yet Reilly's interest was directed solely at Plan, which the staff member found curious.
"But, Officer Reilly, what do you think?"
Their gazes collided in the empty air.
"About what."
"The Subjugation Festival finals. They've been such a hot topic lately, haven't they?"
All information was bound to gather at the Imperial Household, and within the Imperial Household, stories circulated quickly.
The Magic Sword Grand Festival, where anomalies kept occurring, was a hot topic within the Imperial Household these days as well. That was why the staff member had deliberately asked about this subject.
If she listened to the words of Reilly, who understood the flow of wealth, gold coins might just materialize even while she slept.
"...Just a moment."
Reilly's gaze turned toward the stairs. Plan had appeared from the second-floor staircase at just that moment.
From the staff member's perspective, it was a shame. It had been a rare opportunity to confirm Reilly's foresight.
"Now that I've heard they're siblings, they really do resemble each other. Look at those red eyes.... They look like they're truly blazing."
The finance staff member couldn't tear her gaze from Plan's face.
Plan's appearance itself could safely be said to possess 'sociability'—he had a look that anyone would long for. At least, that's what the finance staff member thought.
Had he not taken up magic, the Yudit family would surely have touted this man as a point of pride.
Plan happened to pass right in front of the two, and this time Reilly stopped Plan.
"Look here, Plan."
Plan halted abruptly.
"...What is it."
A small but clear voice. Plan answered just like that.
Everyone around pricked up their ears to listen to their conversation. It was only natural. One was the Imperial Household's financial officer, the other a mage who was the subject of much talk lately.
Moreover, there was another element to look forward to.
Plan seemed completely unaware that Reilly was the Imperial Household's financial officer, so people naturally grew curious about what kind of reaction he would show.
"Was the Magic Department dissatisfied with the gift? I understand you received some fairly good items."
"Yes. It was the worst."
The expressions of those watching turned stupid.
"...!"
Even if he didn't know who the other party was, this was too much. Brimming with astonishment, they held their breath and watched Plan's attitude, the bizarre conversation unfolding between the two.
Reilly himself asked nonchalantly.
"I see. Then, what sort of things should the gift-givers have sent? That is what I am curious about."
"There is no need."
Plan, too, simply answered nonchalantly.
"The only thing a mage needs is time, and that is not something just anyone can gift."
With those words as his last, he walked toward the exit of the social gathering hall. His footsteps echoed at a steady rhythm.
Shock and questions bloomed in everyone's hearts.
Does he really not know who Reilly is?
Is he just going to leave the social hall after this?
What is he off to do?
The finance staff member beside him didn't know what to do.
"F-f-f-financial Officer. It seems that lout has absolutely no idea who you are? Ah, is it because your necktie pin is tacky...?"
Presently, a pin that glowed in the dark was fastened to the neckties of both.
The third princess, having reaped a sudden fortune, had joyfully distributed them throughout the Imperial Household, and there had simply been no way to refuse.
Plan's shocking behavior and abrupt exit—the social gathering used it as kindling and began to burn splendidly out of control.
"'The only thing a mage needs is time,' was it...."
And Reilly smiled a subtle smile.
◈
Late at night.
Yushia was fully absorbed in 'Malleability.' She had a great many things to process today.
In three days. No, since midnight had passed, in two days, the finals would begin, so she had to make the dolls quickly.
"Uuuugh...."
Making a glow-in-the-dark doll that looked exactly like Plan.
That was her goal before the Subjugation Festival finals began.
Of course, after her 10,096-fold windfall, she had given out glow-in-the-dark puzzles as gifts to all the A-grade students.... Plan was the exception. She was going to make him a doll.
"But it's not easy...."
Handling the materials was easy, but realizing the cool image of Plan that Yushia had in her mind was terribly difficult.
Just as she was despairing like that.
Her Trivia emitted a fluorescent glow. It was an alarm light that Yushia had personally reprocessed.
It was a message from Becky.
[*Becky]
[▶ Yushia~ Thanks for the glow-in-the-dark puzzle!]
[▶ And thanks for the perfume you bought me before, too!]
[▶ My greeting is suuuuper late.... Sorry.]
Come to think of it, she had also gifted Becky perfume. Becky had requested a rose scent without fail, so that was what she had given her.
Yushia was wiggling her fingers to send an ordinary reply when something suddenly occurred to her to ask.
[▷ Hey.]
[▷ Miss Becky!]
[▶ Hm? If you have something to ask, ask quickly.]
[▶ I'm supposed to be sleeping, after all.]
[▶ If I get caught using Trivia, it'll be confiscated.]
"Confiscated...!"
Yushia increased the speed of her fingers.
[▷ Do you happen to know what Sir Plan likes?]
[▷ If you know, please tell me!]
Even if she made a glow-in-the-dark doll that looked exactly like Plan, she had an excess of materials. Since she was making one anyway, she intended to turn everything he liked into dolls.
Ten seconds.
One minute.
Three minutes.
No reply came.
"...Were you confiscated?"
Around the time Yushia murmured that toward her Trivia, a reply finally arrived.
[▷ Hmm.... Things Plan likes....]
[▷ Me?]
Yushia's actions paused for a moment.
Soon, two more messages came immediately after.
[▷ Just kidding. Kidding.]
[▷ Really, I'm kidding.]
"...."
Yushia took about three deep breaths.
Then, with a serious face, she sent a reply.
[▶ Yes. I don't think that's quite right.]
◈
In the dawn hours when everyone was asleep.
I had just arrived in the neighboring city of Droom for a late-night auction.
"We have arrived, sir."
The coachman said.
"Wait here."
"Ah...?"
"Do not worry. I will pay you accordingly."
"O-oh, you really needn't...! Thank you...!"
Shops that could be called refined lined the street in a long row. The things people commonly referred to as 'luxury goods' were scattered about this place as if ordinary.
I passed by all of it and silently headed for the auction house.
'So the limit is Intermediate.'
The third discipline of the Magic Sword Grand Festival, the Subjugation Festival, permitted carrying artifacts with an upper limit of Intermediate grade.
My goal was to acquire anything related to the ancient rune language, and to modify whatever was usable.
[ ! ]
And at last, I was able to find the auction house whose signboard bore only a single exclamation mark.
I had heard they gave it this name to signify that they only handled items that drew exclamations of admiration; I would now confirm its true nature for myself.
First, I donned a mask.
A basic design, simply white with no decorations whatsoever. It was enough to conceal my face.
Of all people, it was Maeve—skilled in disguise—who had supplied this mask. It was safe to say there was virtually no risk of my identity being exposed.
The guests gathered in the social gathering hall had been a select group.
They would keep their confidentiality oath until the Subjugation Festival finals ended, but the scale of participants at a late-night auction house easily surpassed a few hundred at minimum.
Since such a wide variety of people gathered here, I deliberately used a mask. You can never be too cautious.
'It is best if it becomes known after the Subjugation Festival ends.'
Furthermore, doing it this way would maximize the impact.
"Do you have a reservation?"
A large attendant greeted me. I answered with the number I had been issued when I made the reservation.
"1."
"Ah, honored guests have a dedicated passage."
I calmly entered the interior, following him. The VIP waiting room was spacious and also cozy.
"I will come to escort you when the time arrives. Please rest comfortably."
But a moment later, unexpected figures filed into the VIP waiting room one after another.
Short-cropped red hair like the lively petals of a rose. An energy that was solidly balanced.
It was Janet, the leader of Cheonchuk, and her comrades.
They sat down side by side in chairs opposite me and began chattering.
"Janet, he called you a pet? Wow~ That bastard's got more guts than I thought."
"Watch your mouth, Bastian. In the first place, I wasn't exactly polite either."
"Yeah? Then you took a nice blow to the face. Congratulations."
Ping— Janet simply flicked a coin into the air. She idly repeated only that action for a while before opening her mouth again.
"Bastian. What do you think of Knight of Embers."
"All of a sudden?"
"Answer."
The man called Bastian shrugged his shoulders.
"Just, I respect her. Like an idol, I guess."
"Same for me."
Janet continued speaking in a profoundly serious voice.
"And it's the same for other knights. Even at this very moment, countless knights are swinging their swords to become like her. But."
She abruptly crushed the coin she'd been flicking between her fingers. Then the coin folded over as easily as paper.
"...The Magic Department achieving results and causing the Yudit name's prestige to fall—that absolutely must not happen. That is why we absolutely must win."
A determined will could be felt in that voice.
It was Janet steeling her resolve in her own way.
"Well, let's just do our best. We're Cheonchuk, after all."
Bastian grinned. Janet slowly nodded.
"Right. This auction is no exception. We'll make sure to secure the items we targeted."
"Don't worry~ We brought plenty of gold coins. It's at a level where we just have to raise our hands."
"That's exactly it, Bastian. Could you ease up on that overconfidence just a bit...."
"Ah— quit nagging. Can't you call it composure?"
At that moment.
An attendant revealed himself with a courteous demeanor.
"Honored guests who have visited the Exclamation Mark, the auction will begin shortly. I will guide you."
The Cheonchuk lot took the lead, and I walked behind them wordlessly. Before long, the vast auction hall revealed itself.
After we parted ways to find our respective seats, I muttered quietly.
"A pity."
Today, I intend to purchase every auction item.