Rosens Full Course (4)
Celereja's face had gone deathly pale, and she kept stammering as she spoke. The saintess's eyes darted anxiously back and forth between the queen and the cardinal standing behind her.
Elua, as if accustomed to such situations, smiled and spoke first.
"You must be Rosens's saintess, Celereja."
She already knew Celereja's name. No doubt the chamberlain or protocol officer had briefed her before arrival.
At the queen's opening words, Celereja flinched in surprise, her body twisting awkwardly.
"M-Me...? Ah! Y-Yes... Yes, Your Majesty...!"
"I've heard you tend to the temple and the citizens here all alone, without rest day or night."
"N-No... It's just my duty as a cleric..."
"The Goddess must surely look upon your deep faith and spirit of service. And I feel the same."
"Th-Thank you..."
She probably wasn't really watching, but even empty flattery from a king's mouth carried real weight. People in high positions never spoke without intent. Even superficial greetings hid motives.
Once Elua left, our city's temple would receive substantial material and personnel support. That was a given. The queen visits, and nothing comes of it? Absurd. The city hall and guard captaincy would get hefty "encouragement" budgets too, naturally.
I wondered if our inn would get something as well. It damn well better.
Finally facing me, Elua curved her serpentine eyes into a smile.
"Bertrand Balder. Innkeeper of Rosens."
"Your Majesty. Welcome once again."
"You look healthy. We'll discuss details while touring the monster garden."
"As you wish."
With that, the brief introductions ended, and as planned, we moved through Mideronde's dimensional gate.
The chamberlain sidled up to me and murmured,
"Balder. After the monster garden, she'll tour the inn too. Have your staff prepare in advance."
"Couldn't you have told me yesterday?"
"She decided right before departure—no time. Sorry."
The chamberlain's face showed no regret, just stern resolve.
"But it's lunchtime... You don't mean she's staying for a meal...?"
"No word on that, but probably. The escorts and guards eat separately. Prepare for four."
Four would be the queen, intelligence chief, cardinal, and chief mage. Brione might be the queen's right hand, but officially, she wasn't high enough for the same table.
I signaled Francois at the inn door—miming scooping food with a spoon, then holding up four fingers. She nodded, getting it.
"Baaaalder..."
I turned at the bleating sound. The chief mage approached, leaning on his staff, trembling.
"Hey, old timer. Still kicking, huh."
"Hee hee... L-Long time... no see... You look... h-healthy... G-Good to see..."
"So what's the occasion? You're rarer than the king."
Not a joke—true fact. The chief mage was old and sickly, rarely leaving his lab. That was Brione's target spot. Even if he dropped dead today, her turn was at least a decade out.
"C-Came to see... M-Mideronde... the mage..."
"Makes sense. Meeting in person someone you've only read about in books."
"S-So nervous... Might... d-die of heart attack..."
"I'll ask the saintess to revive you. Gotta live till you drop."
"L-Living till death... Isn't that... obvious...?"
Elua was about to cross the dimensional gate.
"Balder. Hurry and lead. You're the owner here—go first."
The chamberlain shoved my back. I passed the line stretching into the gate.
En route, my eyes met the intelligence chief's. The balding bastard quickly looked away.
That prick... Acts all meek in front of me, but behind my back, he's into every dirty trick. That's how he climbed to chief.
"After you, Your Majesty."
I stepped through first, ahead of Elua.
"Whoaaa!!"
No sooner had we crossed than the cardinal let out a scream-like gasp of awe.
Beneath a clear sky stretched endless hills and a lake, far into the distance. Monsters roamed peacefully in that stunning landscape.
I marveled inwardly every time; first-timers must be floored.
"Goddess preserve us... What in the world..."
The cardinal rubbed his eyes in disbelief, then opened them wide again.
"How can this be..."
The intelligence chief blinked rapidly, gawking nonstop.
"Couldn't send scouts this far, huh?"
"Eek! H-Hero...! N-No... It's just... so beautiful..."
The chief flinched dramatically, edging away from me.
Mideronde, waiting ahead, approached Elua with light steps.
"Hello, queen of humans."
"You must be the elf mage Mideronde. Pleased to meet you."
Mideronde was ancient and lived outside kingdom borders—no reason for formal speech, which Elua knew well.
"I heard my lab and garden might cause diplomatic issues."
"Pay no mind to humans' petty squabbles, great mage. All's resolved."
Elua smiled with her serpentine eyes. Mideronde's expression shifted oddly at the gaze.
I introduced her to Ukun, the elder dwarves, Ammugar, and Orkog.
Ukun, on tiptoes kissing Elua's hand, suddenly bellowed,
"Urk?! What's with these wrist scars? And those eyes?! You sick? What? Scars on your neck too?!"
Oh no... You crazy dwarf bastard...
Faces of Elua's palace retinue and Hildeva paled instantly.
But Elua smiled at the outrageous rudeness.
"Just happened that way, dwarf. Thanks for worrying."
"Hmph. Figures. High position means assassination attempts galore, stress like you wouldn't believe."
"You're right. Wearing the crown's no easy task."
Ammugar and Orkog struggled even to meet her eyes. Understandable—the queen they'd fought to the death against last year. Casual would be weirder. Plus, the palace knew them as former demon army generals and shock troopers.
"Q-Queen..."
"You two are the demon army generals who chose humanity's side at the final hour."
"Y-Yes...?"
Ammugar stammered in shock at Elua's words.
She smiled—eerie, yet faintly warm.
"Thanks to you, we won. I thank you for that courage and resolve."
Obviously, I soloed the Demon King. But a kind word to the cowering pair cost nothing.
"Your Majesty... This is for you..."
Orkog shyly offered something hidden behind his back.
A dragon figurine—far more detailed than store-sold ones.
Elua's face lit with a huge smile.
"This is one of those monster statues you make and sell. A gift for me?"
"Yes... Heard you were coming... Hope it pleases you..."
"No. I love it. Thank you."
She turned it over, then handed it to the chamberlain.
"Put it in my bedroom."
"An... honor, Your Majesty..."
Ammugar and Orkog bowed deeply.
We all boarded the tour carriage. It held twenty, plenty for our group.
Elua, intelligence chief, cardinal, chief mage, Brione, chamberlain. Hildeva, Lambert, me, Celereja, Mideronde. Plus four special agents guarding Elua.
Ukun took the driver's seat, gripping the brake.
As we prepared to depart, Elua spoke.
"The innkeeper and I will take a separate carriage."
Palace folk who knew my identity barely reacted. But Hildeva, Lambert, and Celereja stared, baffled.
"This way, Your Majesty."
I stood first, moving to the other carriage while eyeing Elua.
The intelligence chief stopped the agents following her.
"Let them. Nothing here threatens Her Majesty anyway."
I took the driver's seat. Elua sat beside me.
"Departing now."
Releasing the brake, the carriage rolled smoothly along the tour path on its own.
"Moves automatically?"
"Dwarves built it. Stops only when you hold the brake; otherwise, keeps going."
"Incredible."
The main carriage followed. I heard the chief mage chattering excitedly at Mideronde—rejuvenated from his usual half-dead state.
Brione last time too. Mages lose their minds meeting her. She was huge in magic circles.
The carriage entered the hills slowly. Long-necked sauropods sprayed water from the lake, herbivore monsters with hooves leaped across our path in herds. Flyers soared peacefully, vanishing into the sun and reemerging.
Elua, taking in the view, spoke.
"How have you been all this time, Balder?"