The following day.
"..."
I exhaled quietly, steadying my breath.
The cold air spread deep into my lungs, and the cooling of my body heat felt pleasant.
After everything yesterday, I had managed to guide and introduce the three of them without issue, so for now, their daily lives were on track. I would lend a hand if anything came up, but they were all grown adults and could surely handle things on their own from here.
...And so, from early this morning, I had been doing distance running and kata training at the abandoned mine.
I had figured that once Glen-san arrived, he would eventually challenge me again without any malice, but we had ended up sparring lightly right after meeting. Even though "Magic Armor" had taken shape, relying solely on that would not be enough to hold my own.
It couldn't hurt to build up my actual strength—hm?
It felt as though something was ringing far off inside my head. This was...
"Kormi?"
"Hello-o?"
"I can hear you. Did something happen?"
"Eleanora-san contacted me and said she wants you to come to the office right away. She said Lord Reinbach is here."
"Lord Reinbach in person? Usually, Sebas-san would be the one to come..."
"I don't know the reason, but it seems his business is about that Casbal person. Anyway, hurry over to them."
"Understood. I'll tidy up my appearance and head over. Thanks for letting me know, Kormi."
"You're very welcome~"
The communication via Taming Magic cut off, and my surroundings felt quiet again.
Originally, Taming Magic allowed me to communicate telepathically with monsters, but Kormi could interact with people even without it. On top of that, combined with his race being naturally superior at handling mana, it had become possible to communicate in a way reminiscent of a telephone.
What's more, as long as the house I had linked to Kormi with Curse Magic was within the range of my Taming Magic, he could also call me from his end. To make a comparison, it was like the relationship between a mobile phone and a cell tower. The spots where Kormi stayed at the office or the laundry shop were like landlines.
It was helpful, but I felt like Kormi was undergoing some strange development because he was absorbing knowledge and concepts from my previous life...
"Well, whatever. More importantly, I have to go."
I didn't know why Lord Reinbach had come in person, but we weren't at fault regarding yesterday's incident. Even setting that aside, he was normally someone one would brace themselves to meet, but in my case, it was a bit late for that.
I hadn't been dressed terribly in the first place, so after having the Cleaner Slimes wash away the sweat and dirt, I teleported using Space Magic.
■ ■ ■
"Pardon the wait. It has been a long time, Lord Reinbach."
I arrived at the office in less than a few minutes. Guided by Eleanora-san, who had been waiting in front of the entrance, I headed to the reception room. Yudam-san was standing on standby behind the sofa, while Lord Reinbach was relaxing opposite him, sipping tea.
At the same time, the anti-eavesdropping magic tool was active, and burly men who were likely guards stood ready in the corners of the room. The security around him was fairly tight.
"It has been a long time, Ryoma-kun. Come, sit down and make yourself comfortable."
Prompted to take a seat, I complied obediently, and Lord Reinbach first denied that he had been kept waiting.
"In fact, you are almost too fast. If one barged in without notice while someone was out, meeting them within the same day would be on the faster side. It would not be unusual to reschedule for another day.
It is precisely because it was I, who understand the circumstances, that you all contacted me through the fastest possible means, yes?"
Indeed, for being summoned while away, arriving this fast might have been a bit much... He understood it was thanks to Kormi, but I should remember to intentionally make people wait a little longer so it appeared more natural when dealing with uninvolved parties.
"Did my sudden visit startle you?"
"You are always welcome, Lord Reinbach, so rather than startled, I was more surprised. Sebas-san usually comes whenever there is word."
"I normally do that, but this time he happened to have his hands full with another matter. When I heard talk of sending someone else, I cut in and intervened. I had also heard that Sieber and Remily had arrived, you see.
Starting a new life at our age must be tough. Though they likely intend to enjoy that hardship as well... Half of my business was wanting to see my old acquaintances out of concern. The other half was that I had something I wished to discuss with you privately, Ryoma-kun.
In other words, my business for the Ducal House was merely an afterthought."
Lord Reinbach laughed, softening the mood in the room. Knowing the reason for his visit cleared my mind as well. But what could he want to discuss with me?
A new question welled up, but it seemed that would be saved for later. Lord Reinbach set down his teacup and leaned back against the sofa.
"Now then, an afterthought though it may be, business is business. So that we may speak at our leisure, let us dispose of the troublesome matters first."
"You mean the matter regarding the man named Casbal yesterday, correct?"
"Indeed. I have already heard the general sequence of events from the two behind you, but I would like to confirm the details from your mouth as well, Ryoma-kun."
"Understood."
From the moment I arrived at the shop after the meeting to the point where Casbal was led away, I explained everything in order, and the hearing ended smoothly.
"Just as the two reported.
He was repeatedly told at the storefront to contact this office, yet Casbal loitered in the shop, where Ryoma-kun and the others, who happened to have been out, returned and encountered him. Preventing it at the office before he made contact with Ryoma-kun would have been ideal, but this may be regarded as an unfortunate accident.
Ideals are ideals; striving for the best result at all times is fine, but one cannot possibly obtain only the best results every time. Everyone handled it well."
At those words, I felt a sense of relief radiate from Eleanora-san and Yudam-san standing behind me.
"Even so, to exploit and deceive a relative's misfortune and use it as a pretext for fraud—what a contemptible man."
"Indeed... That married couple is technically on the perpetrators' side, but considering Casbal's actions, I just can't bring myself to blame them. However, Remily-san pointed out that even that was part of his calculation so people wouldn't pursue the matter too deeply if he failed. It leaves me feeling quite frustrated."
"I shall handle that matter skillfully on this end. If they truly were deceived, I will not treat them poorly. I could handle it alone anyway, but having Sieber's endorsement makes it all the easier to manage."
"I leave it in your hands."
"Leave it to me."
And with that, our talk regarding Ducal House business came to an end for the moment. After briskly saying what needed to be said, it seemed we were moving to personal matters—but at this point, for some reason, Lord Reinbach ordered everyone other than me, including his own guards, to leave the room.
"This is a personal consultation, but at the same time, it relies on Ryoma-kun's ability as a technician for the Ducal House. And though only in part, it involves confidential matters of the Ducal House. Therefore, please excuse yourselves for a short while."
First, Eleanora-san and Yudam-san stepped out, followed by the guards, who bowed and followed after them. Naturally, no one objected to the instruction. It felt as though the door to the room shut with unusual heaviness.
"Lord Reinbach, getting right to the point, what is this consultation?"
"Before an explanation, there is something I would like you to see first."
I hadn't been able to see it from where I sat, but Lord Reinbach seemed to have placed a bag at his feet. It was quite old... a shoulder bag that looked high-grade, but could hardly be called clean.
Lord Reinbach carefully opened it and took out a book that was likewise wrapped protectively in cloth. And the book presented to me was even older. I was afraid it might fall to pieces the moment I held it, but... after asking for permission to look, I gently turned the leather cover—
"—?!"
The characters scrawled inside were not from this world. Strings of text resembling English, Japanese, Arabic, and Thai... From characters I could read to characters I couldn't, to things I could read but whose meanings eluded me due to specialized terminology, there was a wide variety, but what they likely had in common was being "languages of Earth."
"As I thought, it seems to have been written about your world, Ryoma-kun."
"Yes... It includes languages from countries different from the one I was in, so I can't read all of it. Is this from the Ducal House's collection?"
"Strictly speaking, it is the personal property of my older brother. An heirloom."
"By Lord Reinbach's older brother, you mean the one who passed away from illness..."
"That is correct. My brother had always been fond of books and scholarship, but he was particularly interested in archaeology, to the point where he would nonchalantly declare things like, 'If only I weren't the heir to the Ducal House, I could have become an archaeologist.'
That enthusiasm never completely faded even after he became the head of the family, and it seems he continued his research by quietly gathering materials as a hobby. This book appears to be a notebook compiled by independently categorizing the gathered materials, and its contents could not be read by us, and likely not by my brother either. The documents and diagrams that had been partially translated were compiled separately, you see."
Though valuable, something whose contents were unknown served no purpose. Furthermore, his brother's knowledge had apparently been considerable; if his brother couldn't do it, even a specialist would find it difficult. Above all, he didn't want to entrust his brother's keepsake to someone else.
For various reasons such as these, in the end, this book had been kept as Lord Reinbach's personal possession in a state close to being neglected. However—
"Previously, you showed me the scenery of Japan through Kormi-kun, did you not? Seeing that scenery reminded me. I remembered that inside this book, there was a picture resembling the scenery from that time."
"And so, you thought that I might be able to read it?"
"Precisely. I began to think, after all this time, that if I could know what my brother was pursuing, I would like to know... If you can read it, I would like you to teach me the contents. If there is useful knowledge, it may benefit the Ducal House in the future as well. Just as I have done."
"Just as you have done, Lord Reinbach?"
Thinking, Shouldn't that be me?, Lord Reinbach smiled like a child who had pulled off a prank.
"I mentioned that there were partially translated documents, did I not? Though calling it a translation mostly meant diagrams with added conjectures derived from them. While gathering old materials, my brother seemingly intended to incorporate the contents he could piece together into his own governance. There were also notebooks compiling concepts and verifications of the possibilities for reproduction and practical use."
Lord Reinbach said that after inheriting the Ducal House, he governed the territory by relying on his brother's materials and project plans. To fulfill his duties as a noble, to rebuild the house and demonstrate its solid foundation both internally and externally, as a battle to honor his brother's memory, and so on... His tone sounded complicated as he recalled the past, but he had desperately tried to give shape to his brother's plans.
In that process, starting with cesspools for toilets and improvements to public health, changing the town management system from traditional magistrates to the establishment of town offices, and altering the territory in various ways... as a result, Lord Reinbach's reputation rose, and he came to be praised as a wise ruler.
"Starting new things is no easy task. Changing long-standing customs is difficult, and there is resistance from those around you. However, at that time, an epidemic had spread, causing massive casualties regardless of social status. Because the fear of illness was ingrained into everyone down to their marrow, there was little antipathy as long as there was the pretext of 'an attempt at counter-epidemic measures.'
The town offices were the same. Originally, duties relating to governance were held by nobles and their families, with the appointment of commoners limited to menial labor... but with many nobles dead, and the survivors terrified of disease and eager to refrain from contact with others out of self-preservation, I pushed it through by taking advantage of the situation.
For those who still resisted, I summoned a dragon and forced them to submit through sheer force. Immature and desperate as I was as the head of the Ducal House and the lord of the land, I used heavy-handed methods. Though I received praise in the end, I am hardly the caliber of person to be called a wise ruler."
Lord Reinbach looked up at the ceiling, so I couldn't see his expression. However, I could tell there were emotions and conflicts that could not be expressed in a single word.
And I understood. Though I took it for granted now, the cleanliness of the Jamil Duchy and the system of the town offices had been handed down from past reincarnators, ancient documents, his older brother, and Lord Reinbach to take root in this territory.
"Oops, I have indulged in tedious talk. To return to the topic, I simply want you to tell me what you can understand of this book's contents, Ryoma-kun. It was originally a useless white elephant that no one could read, so it does not matter if there are parts you do not understand."
"Understood.
...By the way, as far as I can read from the few pages I've looked at just now, it seems to be mixed with silly things like complaints from the otherworlders of that era. What should we do about those?"
"It does not need to be useful. It is merely that I wish to know what kind of things my brother wanted to know. There is no need to rush. Read it when you have time, and tell me when we have an opportunity to meet in the future."
"Understood. In that case, it would be best to do it through Kormi. That way, I can add my own memories as reference material, which should make explanations faster."
After briefly discussing how to convey the information, I skimmed through the contents of the book.
Lord Reinbach had said I could take it home, but with Kormi's ability, he could forcibly draw out the memories even if I couldn't recall them myself. For translation, that was plenty. It was probably better for Lord Reinbach to continue holding onto the book itself, being his brother's keepsake.
While skimming through, I gave light explanations for the things I could read immediately. We proceeded with the work while making small talk.
"Ah yes, when I first looked through it, this tree-root-like pattern caught my eye. Despite being nothing more than lines and circles, it is colored so neatly. And what could the countless strings of characters written beneath them be? I wondered.
My brother seemed to think it was a type of religious painting and scripture, but what say you?"
"Unfortunately, that is a train route map running through the city I showed you before. The strings of characters are the names of stations—the departure and arrival points where people get on and off."
"It was a type of map, then. Would I be correct in understanding a train to be something like a shared carriage?"
"That's right. Also, regarding the 'horse-drawn tram' that served as the predecessor to trains, I hear a prototype is currently being tested at the construction site for the new town next to Gimul."
Regarding the horse-drawn tram, I had mentioned it a bit to Reinhardt-san quite a while ago: initially for collecting and mass-transporting town materials, and for transporting people once the town was completed. I had heard that development and route construction were underway by commissioning carriage and mine cart engineers.
Aside from being asked at first if they could use the idea, I hadn't been involved at all, so I didn't know what the current situation was, but if he asked Reinhardt-san, he would likely understand it alongside the route map.
"Come to think of it, Reinhardt did mention that he was testing a new method of transportation... I did not ask for details, but to think it was related to this diagram."
"I heard you were intentionally keeping your distance, but were you restricting the sharing of information as well?"
"Indeed. Even though I have already yielded the position of family head to my son, there are still quite a few who look to my face rather than Reinhardt's. In particular, those who supported my reign and know those times are somewhat stubborn...
They themselves seriously consider the territory, the people, and above all, the Ducal House. They are people worthy of being called loyal retainers... but by the same token, one could say their trust in me and the old ways is too strong... Just a trivial word of mine reaching their ears carries the risk of them trying to second-guess and flatter my intentions unnecessarily."
"So you stayed uninvolved from the start and cut off information."
"Even if I were to tell them to obey my son, they would merely be following 'my order' to obey my son. In the end, unless Reinhardt earns their trust himself, it will not be a fundamental solution. Until then, conducting myself with restraint is the only and greatest support I can offer.
However... perhaps I could have at least listened to him a bit more."
Shifting from a troubled expression, Lord Reinbach chuckled, wondering if he had gone too far. He was always a gentle person, but he still had his struggles as a noble, and as a member of the Ducal House at that. I should refrain from prying too deeply.
"Even so, to be able to draw such a complex route map so neatly... meaning they remembered it... this person was probably a train otaku..."
"What is a train otaku?"
"Um, first of all, in Japan, people who hold a deep interest in a specific field, do not hesitate to invest time and money into it, and possess profound insight and knowledge are called 'otaku.' There was a time when it was used almost as a derogatory term, but setting that aside, the 'ota' in train otaku is an abbreviation of otaku."
"I see. The 'train' in train otaku refers to the horse-drawn trams and their advanced forms you mentioned earlier, meaning it refers to a person knowledgeable about such things."
I never dreamed that after coming to another world, I would end up explaining what an otaku was to a noble... Just as I was thinking such silly thoughts, a discreet knock echoed through the room.
Furthermore, according to the man's voice heard through the door, Remily-san and Sieber-san had arrived.
"Oops, I had called those two regarding the Casbal matter as well."
"There's only a little bit left, so I'll finish looking through it."
After quickly checking the contents to the extent that it wouldn't damage the book, I returned it, and Lord Reinbach granted permission to enter while putting the book away.
"Long time no see, Reinbach-chan."
"You look well. I thought there would be some kind of response, but to come in person the very next day..."
"It simply shows how much importance I place on Ryoma-kun. It is good to see you two looking well as well."
Following Remily-san and Sieber-san, Eleanora-san and Yudam-san entered quietly. If even the guards came in, the reception room would understandably become too cramped, so they seemed to be waiting outside.
"Excuse me."
As the two guests sat on the sofa, Eleanora-san began brewing and serving fresh tea. Her movements being slightly stiff in welcoming these three was an endearing charm. Yudam-san stood strictly at attention like a true military man, perhaps because his training as a knight candidate was ingrained in his body.
While the two behind me were nervous like that, the other three naturally were not. After formally confirming the details regarding Casbal, a peaceful, pleasant chat began.