"Delicious! Give me another!"
Kierbit and several of the other angels were thoroughly enjoying their dinner.
Sake is always served with the guests' evening meals, and where there is sake, a banquet inevitably follows. Once a banquet begins, the rest of the residents tend to join in as well.
It was quite the lively scene.
The harpies had joined the festivities too, proving themselves to be formidable drinkers—though they were certainly feeling the effects by the end.
Eventually, Kierbit broke into something resembling a tap dance. The light, upbeat rhythm energized the room, and before long, Tia and Ya were dancing right along with her.
I didn't mind the dancing itself, but I really wished they would stop trying to drag me into it. And for heaven’s sake, I wish they'd stay off the tables.
"Ugh, my head... it hurts..."
"Is this... a trial...?"
Kierbit, her fellow angels, and the harpies ended up sleeping until well past noon the next day. I don't mind people drinking, but I don't think it's good to let it interfere with the next day's responsibilities.
"The sake here is exceptionally fine, after all," Donovan said, coming to their defense. "It’s only natural for first-timers to overindulge."
Actually, these girls had plenty to drink the last time they visited. I wasn't about to start imposing rations or anything, so there was no need for him to look quite so apprehensive on their behalf.
On a side note, none of the other residents besides the harpies were suffering from hangovers. Everyone else was hard at work as usual.
As for the lasting effects of the night before, Kierbit's tap dancing became a massive trend among Zabuton's children. Though they had always been silent before, the rhythmic pitter-patter of many feet began to echo through every corner of the mansion. I eventually had to ask them to agree on specific times and places for their practice.
"It’s finished."
Looking a bit weary, Lu and Flora handed a dose of medicine to Fouche. This wasn't a hangover cure, but rather the very reason Fouche was visiting the village: a remedy for a specific disease.
Apparently, Fouche’s son had contracted a rare and difficult illness, and Lu and Flora had agreed to synthesize the cure. Since Shiso-san had personally vouched for the request, I imagine they felt they couldn't exactly say no.
Even when a powerful person tells you, "Feel free to refuse if it's too much trouble," it takes a lot of courage to actually turn them down. The two of them worked hard on it, figured that a bit of effort was a small price to pay to stay in the good graces of such a high-ranking figure.
I hadn't realized it myself, but apparently, Lu and Flora are quite the celebrities in the world of pharmacology. Their technical skills were beyond reproach. The only real hurdle was the ingredients, but as it turned out, every single one of them was already growing in the village’s herb field.
Fouche had originally planned to secure the specialists first and then devote her life to hunting down the rare ingredients, so she was both stunned and overjoyed.
"Now we just have to wait for Shiso-san to come pick you up."
"I gave him an estimate on the preparation time," Lu noted, "so he should be here in two or three days at the latest."
Just as we were discussing it, Shiso-san arrived.
"I thought I might be a little early, but it seems my timing was perfect."
"Lord Sovereign. I apologize for the imposition," Fouche said, bowing deeply.
"Think nothing of it. I was bored anyway. Now then, I know I've only just arrived, but I'm sure you're anxious to get home, so shall we depart?"
"Yes. I am in your care."
Fouche set off with Shiso-san, carrying a small pack of her own and a mountain of souvenirs from the village.
Shiso-san's method of long-distance travel is a bit like transfer magic—but only "a bit like it," because it differs from the standard version.
Standard transfer magic generally functions by creating a sort of gate that connects two points in space. Apparently, the mana cost fluctuates based on the size of the gate, the amount of material being moved, and the total distance. It is an incredibly advanced magic; Beezel is the only person I know who can actually use it.
I had wondered if the dragons used it, but they told me there was no reason to burn through such massive amounts of magic power just to get around. They puffed out their chests and told me they had wings, so travel was never an issue. They made sure to emphasize that they chose not to use it, rather than being unable to. That distinction seemed very important to them.
In contrast, Shiso-san’s magic is a form of teleportation that simply displaces an object to a specific location. While that sounds more like what "transfer magic" should be, he’s apparently the only one who can use it, so the terminology doesn't really matter.
"I’m back," Shiso-san announced, reappearing almost as soon as I thought he’d left. "I think I’ll take it easy here for a while."
He handed me a small shield, perhaps as a gift or to cover his lodging fees.
"What's this?"
"A Magic Shield. It’s enchanted with strong fire protection, so if you display it in your house, it’ll act as a charm against fires."
"Oh! That's incredibly useful."
"Just a word of advice: don't put it too close to the kitchen."
"Hahaha. Point taken."
I decided to display it in the foyer of the mansion.
"I'll prepare a proper reward for the medicine later," Shiso-san added. "I’m the one who brought the request to you, but I didn't have anything ready because I assumed gathering the ingredients would take much longer."
"I want to tell you not to worry about it... but Lu and Flora were the ones who did the heavy lifting. I'll leave the reward in your hands."
"You can count on me."
"Hahaha. But wait, didn't you see the herb field during your last visit?"
"I did, but my knowledge of medicine is no match for theirs."
"Is that so? Lu mentioned they were mostly self-taught using your old research materials."
"That was back before I erased my memories. Besides, the ecology of magical plants has shifted over the ages, so those old records aren't much help anymore."
"I see. Changing the subject, how exactly did you meet Fouche-san?"
"When someone reaches the rank of Bishop in the Korin religion, we eventually cross paths. For the record, I did tell her my true identity."
"And that didn't cause a scene?"
"Not at all. For some reason, people usually just look at me and find it easy to believe."
"Probably because of all the legends surrounding you."
"That might be it."
Shiso-san headed toward the guest rooms with a laugh, but he came back out almost immediately.
"By the way, that statue of yours is glowing."
Right. Fouche-san was the cause of that.
"We've really appreciated the hospitality. I’m quite interested in the martial arts tournament, but it’s about time we headed back."
Kierbit and her group came to give their farewells.
"That’s a shame. Well, stop by whenever you're in the neighborhood. The harpies would love to see you."
"I hope so."
Kierbit and her companions were also loaded down with a fair amount of souvenirs.
"Will you be alright carrying all that?"
"We'll manage. Besides, we're getting a ride for part of the trip."
Rusty was going to fly Kierbit and the others as far as the Royal Capital of the Demon Kingdom. Frau and several of the civil official girls had business to attend to there, and the angels were going to hitch a ride.
"I really wish I could use transfer magic," Kierbit sighed, "but that skill is notoriously difficult to master."
"So I've heard."
Then again, even basic magic is difficult for me.
"There are rumors of artifacts that can seal transfer magic entirely... but nobody has ever actually seen one. I bet someone's hoarding them all for themselves."
"Hahaha."
I wondered if Dos or Shiso-san knew anything about that.
Kierbit and her group departed on Rusty's back.
I suppose the martial arts tournament is next on the agenda.
Actually, no—I think Ria and the others giving birth will come first. I’d like to take it easy for a while, but it looks like things are about to get very busy.