The Guest Who Came in Secret
Inside a carriage bound from the outlying town of Eastpol toward Caipol.
Meigan had been quietly taking in the scenery sliding past the window when she glanced across at the six servants seated opposite her, clinging to one another and trembling.
"...It's going to be busy, isn't it? Really, really busy...?"
"They say Caipol's full of dangerous people, too. Tons of them."
"Even so... the madam promised she'd make sure the youngest of our house got into the academy."
Those who had followed her out of Blanya numbered two menservants and four maids. The two men, a year or two older than she was, had decided to come up to the city out of loyalty to House Deblique. The four maids, all younger than Meigan, had left Blanya and come all this way because of Meigan herself.
If Sister says so, she must have her reasons...
Leaving Meigan there all alone... I've worried about it for ages. Even if Hervena's with her...
When she had first heard those words, Meigan had gripped their hands and squeezed out another tear for good measure, but inwardly she had only nodded, perfectly calm. If she was going to such lengths, of course there was a reason.
The six who had followed her were well regarded even back at the estate. And for that, a nickname had stuck to them that should never have stuck to anyone—the Six Fools. The other servants of the house had given it to them half in worry and half in scorn, for throwing away a stable life in Blanya to place themselves under that Blow Deblique. Even as they climbed into the carriage, most of the household had sighed as if the ground itself might cave in, or dabbed at their eyes the way one did when watching people dragged off to a battlefield. Meigan, already aboard, had nearly died holding in the laughter that threatened to burst out of her.
"S-still, Meigan said the young master really has gotten better..."
"He has, right? She wouldn't lie, would she?"
That same talk had come up more than twenty times since they left Blanya. Meigan was sick of it. Secretly, she wanted to see them faint dead away when they laid eyes on a Blow and a Hills nothing like what they had imagined. But if they made some blunder afterward, she would be the one held responsible, so she decided this was the moment to tell them.
The spire of Caipol City Hall finally came into view. The instant she saw it, Meigan stretched her arms overhead, rolled her shoulders loose, cleared her throat, and turned her gaze on the Six Fools.
"All right."
"Y-yes...!!"
They had come all this way with their eyes on Meigan alone, and every one of them snapped their mouths shut and stared at her, spines suddenly rigid with discipline. Into that silence Meigan clapped her hands, smiled, and spoke.
"Congratulations, all of you."
"What? What do you mean..."
"Because every bit of it was a lie."
"D-don't tell me the part about the young master changing was the lie? Don't tell me you couldn't stand to die alone, so you dragged us with you?"
Among the Six Fools, Anne—the one who followed Meigan most devotedly—went pale as a sheet.
...You followed me even knowing it was that terrifying? Did I overdo the act?
Feeling a little guilty, Meigan checked the others' faces. They, too, were brimming with tears, swallowing hard.
"No, that's not it. The young master's business is doing so well that we were short on hands, so I went down to fetch people."
"......"
The servants looked at one another as if they had heard her perfectly well and still could not understand a word. Meigan let out a thin sigh and added one more line.
"Don't you remember Viscount Bruno looking after us in Eastpol?"
"Well, that did happen, but..."
While the rest wavered, Anne twisted her braid around her fingers and spoke in a voice on the verge of tears.
"Then you were just acting?"
"Yeah."
"E-even the trouble with the contract with House Edfolk?"
"What trouble? You have no idea how dearly Lady Yulia treasures Young Master Blow."
"What?! Treasures...?"
"You'll see."
"That doesn't make any sense! How could the grand duke's daughter possibly treasure Young Master Blow of all people!!!"
"She's probably at Hills even now. Lady Skadi Hetaya, too."
"......"
They sat there dumbstruck, eyes spinning as they tried to decide whether to believe her. A little later the wheels stopped, the carriage door swung wide, and the sight beyond it left them no choice but to gape.
A row of dazzling carriages stood there, ornamented with a luxury their own could not begin to match. And Blow's restaurant, Hills, together with the potion shop Red Forest, flaunted an elegance that had no business belonging in a gray alley.
"Meigan, you're here?"
That same Blow Deblique was greeting her in a tone warm enough to feel gentle.
Not Jane. Not Hervena. Meigan Browngrass, a mere servant of the house—and Blow Deblique was speaking to her like that.
Anne was so stunned by the unbelievable sight that she forgot to breathe. In that moment, a young lady with navy-blue hair and splendid earrings, who had been seated farther inside, rose and came over with a soft step. Once Meigan had finished greeting Blow, the young lady turned a bright smile on her.
"Oh my, Meigan. It's been a while."
"Good day, Lady Yulia."
"You've had a hard journey. Are the people behind you the ones you brought yourself this time?"
"Yes, they are."
Yulia came toward them, smiling gently, and let her gaze pass warmly over each face in turn as the corners of her mouth lifted.
"Please do everything you can for Young Master Blow from here on. I, Yulia Edfolk, will be paying close attention as well."
"Me too! Umhaha!!"
"Lady Skadi, won't you come out and greet them too?"
"Shall I!"
Yulia Edfolk. Skadi Hetaya. At names that made the hair stand up on the back of one's neck just to hear them, Anne and the other five swallowed dryly and drew their backs ramrod straight.
A short while later, after exchanging a few words with Meigan, Blow finally came to stand before them, and they all bent deep at the waist as if they had been waiting for it.
"Y-Young Master, good day!"
"Some faces I know, some I don't. None of you have had dinner, have you?"
"No. We have not eaten yet."
"Then you must be hungry. Eat first. Greetings can wait. You too, Meigan."
"Thank you for the consideration."
"It's nothing."
...In that moment Anne felt goosebumps rise over her whole body at the softness of Blow's voice. She had seen how he had changed after waking, and she had heard the story of him trading Drenor for Jane. But the time he had stayed at the estate after waking had been far too short, and this was nearly the first time she had watched him speak with anyone from so close.
A little later Blow smiled at them and returned to his seat with Yulia and Skadi. Only then did Meigan go over to Anne, who was letting out a long breath and rubbing her eyes, and whisper in her ear.
"Anne. Welcome to Caipol."
After serving food all the way to the newcomers' table, Blow returned to his own with Jane. He glanced at Hervena, who was watching the seated Meigan with a pleased look, and asked lightly.
"Not going to say hello to Meigan?"
"I can do it later. Anne came too?"
"Anne? Oh, you mean that girl with the braid?"
"Yes. She was close with Meigan, so I thought she might come. Still, six isn't all that many."
"Six proper people beat grabbing whoever you can find. Meigan will have brought the right ones."
"Your trust in Meigan runs deeper than I expected, Young Master."
"When you think about how much everyone suffered without her, it's only gotten deeper, hasn't it?"
At that, Jane nodded hard. Her expression had brightened somewhat. Skadi, who had been steadily draining a beer beside her, poked her in the side.
"Our Manager Jane! Must be nice, getting people under you!"
"Honestly, it is nice."
"Umhaha! Just look at you, shooting up like a weed! Blow Deblique!!"
"Obviously. The most urgent fire's out, so it's about time we started thinking about what's next."
"We should, Young Master. The tomatoes ought to arrive next Monday or Tuesday at the latest."
"A little longer than I expected."
"Cypress isn't exactly close. I think we'll need to work out a more efficient way to transport them."
"It'd be nice if we could make a wagon that goes by itself."
Of course, he was thinking of the box trucks he had seen in his days as Han Ji-hoo. A man who didn't know a single automobile brand, let alone hold a license, had no hope of building one.
...Couldn't some genius engineer just drop out of the sky somewhere?
While Blow privately regretted it, Yulia, who had been smiling at him, turned the conversation elsewhere.
"Also, it seems I'll be running in this election as the sole candidate. Thanks to that, I should be able to focus on the business instead of campaigning."
"Ah. I heard about the Julbert matter from Skadi."
"So at this Capall Academia, I expect I'll be acting as the school's representative."
"Well, His Highness the Prince has gone up to the imperial capital, after all."
"Yes. Capall Academia is a major event, so it would be best if we prepared thoroughly in every respect."
Capall Academia, as the name suggested, was the annual festival in which Caipol's principal schools gathered for three days of exchange. Countless schools took part, among them Central Academy, where Cunsai studied, Leopold Knight School, and Caipol Magic School, which they themselves attended. Academic presentations, theatrical performances, exhibitions of student artwork, duels among the representatives—events of every kind were held, and not only students but crowds of Caipol's citizens came to watch. It was, in every sense, one of the city's greatest festivals.
"This time, money aside, I'd like to clean my image up a little more. Wouldn't you say?"
"Of course. Still, after everything that's happened, there's no one left who doesn't know you. We only need to skim off the impurities still floating around."
"Did you apply for a booth, like last time?"
"No. As you know, all of us have been buried in the construction. We couldn't put a plan together, so we've put it on hold for now."
Blow's thoughts grew tangled, and he stroked his chin. Beside him, Skadi, who had been putting away her beer in earnest, set her glass down and cut in.
"Our booth does fine no matter where we open it, doesn't it?"
"Hm?"
"Last time we had the worst spot and still did the best!"
Skadi smiled, bright and easy. At her words everyone at the table met one another's eyes and nodded together, as if they had promised to.
"Right. We'll plan it over the weekend, take whatever space is left, and give it our all."
"Yeah! We don't have to go all out every single time! There's always a next time!!"
"True. It's tight this round, so I shouldn't get greedy. Oh—senior, you'll have to enter the duel as well, won't you?"
"Ah, yes. I'll probably win without much trouble."
At Yulia's indifferent reply, disappointment washed over Hervena's face. Skadi slapped her on the back with an open palm and laughed.
"Let's have a drink! Hervena!!"
"We should."
"I'll make sure to carry Hervena's share properly as well."
"Yes."
Then every glass met, and they all felt the clean, cold bite of the beer. Yulia cleared her throat and brought out what she had been about to say.
"I have two rather shocking pieces of news. Shall I tell you now?"
"Julbert being arrested was already shocking enough. There was more."
"Of course. First, Lady Windia Serdia, the youngest of the imperial family, will be entering our school as a freshman next year."
"So the prince leaves, and this time a princess comes."
"Caipol serves as a second capital, so the palace seems to be paying it particular attention. Prince Randolph enrolled in that same vein."
"Ugh. The pressure's making me even less eager to come back to school next year."
Blow said it like a joke, and Skadi pursed her lips in displeasure, wheedling.
"Hey, ease up a little!"
"Jane's coming back."
"Jane only ever studies. It's boring!"
"...If you're a student, you're supposed to study. Skadi."
Jane said it with a straight face, and Skadi shook her head as if that were absolutely not the case. Yulia, watching their exchange with pleasure, went on.
"And the other is that the Saintess will be entering the academy in the imperial capital."
"The Saintess?"
"Yes. She'll probably enter as a third-year or a fourth-year. The Church, which has shown such a closed face until now, is finally trying to move toward change."
"Well, there is the view that treats holy power as light-attribute magic..."
"From what I was told, the Church leadership reached the decision only with difficulty, after a long discussion. I had hoped to bring her to our school, but it didn't go as I wished."
"Already at work as student council president?"
"Haha. If the Saintess comes, the school's weight gets that much heavier all at once."
"That's a shame."
"Yes. It is a shame."
Blow held his glass out to her disappointed face, and Yulia touched hers to it. Jane, who had been listening in silence, tilted her head slightly and spoke toward Yulia and Blow.
"If that's the case, then at next year's Serdia Academia, if things go well, we might end up facing the Saintess as an opponent?"
"Most likely. Our Hervena will have to put in a bit of work."
"...Yes?"
"Next year's Serdia Academia. I'm counting on you."
At those words Hervena's eyes narrowed sharply. Then, as if something had just struck her, she flinched and spoke in a trembling voice.
"Senior, don't tell me... you're thinking of not entering next year's Serdia Academia...?"
"I want to enter, but, well... I'm student council president, and the business is only going to get much busier than it is now."
"Then the duel..."
"As for duels, I'll have my fill this time. No regrets left."
...My rematch...?
Hervena, perfectly calm only a moment ago, stared at her as if wronged, then shook her head, her hands trembling.
"S-Senior, no... The mage who uses magic best has to go to the Serdia Academia. You have to come. You even won this time...!"
"Well. Father has started bringing up marriage with me lately. One way or another, next year will be rather busy, don't you think?"
"......."
Yulia's voice was so maddeningly indifferent that fury boiled up in Hervena until she shuddered. Watching her, Skadi chuckled and thrust a beer her way.
"Our Hervena, what are we going to do! You've gone and gotten yourself someone you're falling behind!"
"...Shut up."
"Umhaha! Let's just drink!"
And so the beer glasses came and went. Hervena's lip stuck out a mile as she glared toward Yulia—and in that moment the door of Hills burst open, and someone no one inside had expected stepped into view.
"Huh. There's a ridiculous number of people in here."
Rosalyn Ropert, in a lavish short dress, as if she had come for a banquet. She swept a look over everyone inside, cleared her throat, and set her foot across the threshold of Hills.