On one cold winter night, in the noble district of the Royal Capital where glittering buildings stood in orderly rows, Reinhardt, the head of the Jamil Ducal House, paid a visit to a certain mansion. It was smaller and more modest than its neighbors, and its master was a man with whom Reinhardt had once shared a close bond.
"Welcome, Duke Jamil. We see one another every year at social functions, but it has been quite a long time since we met privately like this."
"It has. However, we spoke often during our student days. Today, I would like to call you 'Polko-senpai' as I did back then. And if you would, Senpai, please speak to me as you once did as well."
"I see... No, very well then."
For a while, the drawing room was filled with the sounds of their somewhat guarded conversation.
"Come to think of it, it felt much like this when we first met," Reinhardt remarked.
"Indeed. I never expected anyone to frequent a place like that back then. Least of all the young noble who was the talk of the Academy—it was quite a shock."
"I simply couldn't afford to form relationships with the wrong people. It would have caused trouble for my father."
"The influence held by your father—or rather, by the 'Contractor of a Divine Beast'—is something even His Majesty the King cannot ignore. There must have been many who approached you under their parents' orders. I suppose it couldn't be helped."
"Even if that's true... Listen to this, Senpai. Actually, before coming here today, I met with my daughter for the first time in a while. I was curious about her school life, so I told her to bring her friends along. She brought four of them, and they were all such lovely girls."
"Is that not a wonderful thing? Why do you look so dissatisfied?"
"When it was time for me to leave, I told her I was coming here, and my daughter asked me: 'Father, did you actually have friends during your student days?'"
"That is a misfortune... Have you not explained the circumstances to her?"
"I have given her general warnings. However, part of me does not want my daughter to endure the same isolation I did, so it is a delicate balance. Besides, she has had relatively few interactions with nobles her own age... On the other hand, she has grown up pure and straightforward, which makes me happy as a parent."
"It may be rude of me to say, but see to it that you don't regret that later."
"Of course, I intend to intervene if necessary, but experiencing things for oneself is also vital. Besides, my daughter seems to have gained five friends in less than a year, whereas it took me six to gain even one. I hope those girls and him will support her."
"Those girls and... him? Could that 'him' be...?"
"Yes, it is Ryoma-kun. I heard he was in your care the other day, so I came today to thank you for that as well."
"I didn't really do anything significant. If anything, I am the one who was helped. I gave him what reward I could, but—"
"I heard about that as well. I understand he received quite a substantial item as a reward."
At Reinhardt’s words, which felt like a preemptive strike, Polko mentally braced himself.
"Hmm. Was there some dissatisfaction? I apologize, but I cannot offer a greater return than what I gave."
"No. Neither he nor I was dissatisfied with the reward. If anything, he was so humbled that he felt he had received far too much. ...Are you still unable to relax, Senpai?"
Sensing his companion’s inner tension, Reinhardt addressed it directly. In response, Polko answered slowly, but with honesty.
"...To tell you the truth, I am happy that you are treating me as a senior without bringing in our social status, just like in our student days. I truly am. But... it seems I have grown a bit too old to accept those words at face value without suspicion."
"I understand. We both have our obligations as lords and nobles. Furthermore, while I am not lying when I say I want to speak as we used to, that is not my only purpose for being here. ...I believe there is no point in continuing to feel each other out, so shall we settle the talk as nobles first?"
"I would appreciate that."
"Then, I will be blunt. Polko-senpai, I would like you to include me among the members of the 'meetings' you host."
"Calling them meetings is an exaggeration. What I host is merely a hobbyist dining club... What brought this on?"
"I heard from Ryoma-kun that you had caught wind of rumors regarding my territory being in disarray."
"That is true. ...Don't tell me?"
"It is very regrettable, but it seems several houses have joined forces and are pulling the threads behind the scenes."
Polko quietly covered his eyes with his hand.
"What idiots... From the look of it, you've already identified the ones pulling those threads? In that case, your goal isn't help with solving the current problems, but securing the future."
"It helps that you are always quick to understand, Senpai. I do not enjoy political maneuvering or power struggles, so I intend to make them fully understand what happens when they carelessly lay hands on my house and territory. And since I don't want there to be a next time, I want to expand my network."
"Even without asking someone like me, there must be plenty of houses that would jump at the chance for a relationship with a Ducal House."
"That is true, but as a noble, I don't just want anyone. You have always been shrewd, Senpai, and you continue to cultivate connections through your 'dining club' even now. Having your cooperation would be immensely reassuring."
"..."
"Of course, I have prepared compensation. I have left the items with your subordinate."
"I'll have him bring them in."
When Polko rang a bell on the desk, his butler, Pigu, entered the room. As soon as he heard the request, the butler immediately returned with three boxes: large, medium, and small.
"First, please look at this."
Reinhardt presented a thin, rectangular box.
"A necklace or something...!!"
Polko made a guess based on the shape of the box. While his guess wasn't wrong, the item contained within far exceeded his imagination.
"Pearls!? And they are all uniform in size, perfectly matched from end to end!"
In this landlocked country, even a single pearl was a rarity, yet this was a necklace of pearls strung together luxuriously enough to wrap around a neck. Polko could not even begin to fathom how much wealth would have to be exchanged to obtain such a piece.
"This is a feast for the eyes. I have no other words..."
Polko quietly returned the box and then asked:
"What do you intend by showing me this? This is far beyond my station. Surely you aren't saying this is the compensation?"
"If you say you want it, Senpai, I can prepare the same for you, but I intend to give this to an acquaintance later. There is a man who was married just last year and is agonizing over a gift, you see."
"An item of this caliber. No, an acquaintance of yours who married last year... I see, the recipient is His Majesty the King. And in exchange, you will receive permission to sell pearls. There are many nobles who desire pearls. I don't know what route you used to obtain them, but if you can 'prepare them upon request' for an item of this quality... and if you receive His Majesty's endorsement, your financial power and influence over other houses will become immense. A person who can act as a bridge to the Jamil Ducal House... if I am included in that, I might gain some measure of say and influence as well. Though, like a fox borrowing the authority of a tiger—or in this case, a dragon—it seems I'll make a corresponding number of enemies."
"I expect you to be prepared for that to some extent, but the Jamil Ducal House will act as your backer. To begin with, I don't want you to be a 'mere buffer' for me, Senpai; I want you to be a 'comrade' who supports me. Which brings me to the acquisition route for these pearls; you are not unrelated to it."
"What?"
"I would like you to look at this."
As he spoke, Reinhardt opened a box containing a seashell. Its surface was well-polished, and the hidden, beautiful nacre was glowing brilliantly.
"This... this brilliance. But this shape, could it be...?"
"Ryoma-kun found it in your territory, Senpai. It seems it is a shell very commonly eaten there."
"Then it really is a Sunagakure?"
"I heard you asked him to clean the hot springs. It seems he used the chemicals he created at that time to polish the shell."
"That! I see, this shell was hiding such brilliance on its inner surface."
"According to what I heard from him, this shell and pearls are made of the same material... I would like you to supply this shell to me under the pretext of food, Senpai."
"Since you specifically want them, does that mean this shell is the raw material for those pearls?"
"To be precise, other things—for example, even the grime from the hot spring that Ryoma-kun cleaned—could be used as a substitute with a little modification. However, if we consider a stable supply into the future, those shells are the most desirable."
"...Do you not intend to hide anything at all?"
"Part of it is that I want to speak frankly, and there is no need for meaningless secrets. You will cooperate, won't you, Senpai?"
When Reinhardt said this as if it were only natural, Polko looked up at the ceiling, leaning his full weight into his chair in a mix of exasperation and resignation.
"It would be wise to go along with this. Or rather, do you even intend to let me refuse?"
"If you truly say you refuse, I won't mind. In the first place, regarding this matter of the shells, Ryoma-kun was the one who asked me to tell you."
"What?"
"Since they are shells harvested in your territory, he felt he should let you know. However, he was worried that if he told you the wrong way, you might become wary or it might cause trouble. He didn't know your circumstances deeply, but from the state of the villages and rumors he heard, he vaguely sensed that you were dealing with delicate problems. That's why he asked me. What I want you to understand is that he intended to tell you entirely out of goodwill. That's why I don't intend to use this information to coerce you. If I did something like that and ended up being hated by him, that would be the real loss."
"I see. I didn't think he was just an ordinary child, but to think he saw through so much."
"To be honest, my wife and I initially thought he was a child who was ignorant of the ways of the world and easily deceived, and we were worried for him. But he seems to have an strangely sharp side."
The resentment Polko had been harboring was beginning to melt away. Observing Reinhardt as he spoke, Polko asked:
"Reinhardt. By any chance, is he your illegitimate son?"
"Pfft! Cough, hack!"
It happened just as Reinhardt was moistening his throat with black tea. He choked violently at Polko’s unexpected remark.
"Forgive me. But what would lead you to ask such a thing?"
"Well, you had such a complex look on your face as you spoke of him—like a man who was happy to see a child growing but also felt a certain sadness."
"Was I making such a face?"
"Were you not aware?"
"Not only was I unaware, but there is no truth to the rumor that he is my illegitimate son."
"True, your faces don't look alike at all, but your personalities are a little..."
"Stop joking and let's get back to the subject."
"If you want to feel like we're back in the old days... fine, I get it, so don't glare at me with a smile. Now, where were we?"
"About how the matter of the shells was requested by Ryoma-kun, and how he is unexpectedly sharp. If the truth about these shells were to become public, the struggle over the rights to Lake Latoin currently happening under the surface would undoubtedly intensify."
"Precisely. It's troublesome that there are so many who will immediately try to snatch away only the profits if they see an opportunity."
"It may be partly because your father paved the roads, Senpai. Except for the area around the lake, that land was a difficult environment for humans to live in, but it has improved quite a bit compared to the past, and further improvements can be expected in the future. It is becoming a land that is attractive in its own right."
"To be honest, being able to obtain the backing of a Ducal House is a godsend. Not only will I participate in the dining club, but I also promise my full cooperation in introducing you to influential nobles within my capability."
The two men took each other's hands, though it wasn't clear who had reached out first.
"By the way, what is in the last box?"
"It's a similar story, though different from the pearls. I have a proposal where we can both profit; would you cooperate?"
"I was shocked enough by the first two, and there's still more? There's no need for meaningless secrets, right? Tell me the main points."
"Then I'll be blunt. Are you interested in a new technology that extends the shelf life of food without losing freshness or flavor?"
"Of course I am. My territory's specialty is fish, where freshness is everything."
"That technology is currently under research, and the contents of this box are a prototype Freezing Magic Tool and experimental equipment created in the process."
"Common sense says that freezing ruins the flavor of the ingredients. Have you truly made it possible to avoid that?"
"Compared to conventional tools, the difference is clear. Personally, I believe it is already sufficiently usable at this stage."
"Just what kind of mechanism is it?"
"It seems that rapidly freezing at a temperature much lower than the cold air a common magic tool can produce is the key. For that purpose, we use a very strong alcohol we refined called 'Industrial Alcohol.' As for the raw material, I have heard that in the Fatma Territory, there is a local sake called 'Shirozake' that even amateurs can easily make."
"It does exist. To make something fit for drinking requires a fair amount of effort and skill, but if it's not for drinking but for making strong alcohol, the taste doesn't matter. The ingredients grow wild there, and if necessary, cultivation isn't difficult either. I see, so it's suitable for my territory in that sense as well."
Having shown his general agreement and understanding, Polko asked one last question.
"Reinhardt. About this matter as well, I've had a sense of déjà vu, or rather, the face of a certain boy keeps coming to mind."
"As you suspect, this is also Ryoma-kun's research."
"Just who is that boy? One thing after another."
"Since you will be a collaborator, it's better if I tell you, Senpai... He is the surviving ward of the famous Sage Meeria and War God Tigal. There is no blood relation; I heard he was adopted."
"A bard gave him the nickname 'Sage of Barley Tea,' but perhaps that was unexpectedly on the mark."
Polko showed a smile of understanding. But in the next moment, his expression turned serious.
"I'll take this chance to say it, but that boy might be a little dangerous."
"...You think so too, Senpai?"
Reinhardt’s expression sharpened at Polko’s observation.
"There has been a tendency for it for some time, but I became certain with this incident. He is too selfless."
"I'm sure you've heard, but I gave him a request as well. He did a job that was more than expected and beyond reproach, but he was indifferent to the reward afterward."
"That is merely a surface-level symptom."
"What do you mean?"
"I believe the problem he carries lies at the very core of his being as a human."
"Meaning there was something that made you think so?"
"Yes. However, I—no, my house—intends to continue supporting him in the future. Both as nobles and as individuals."
Seeing the eyes that conveyed that strong will, Polko smiled once more.
"That part of you hasn't changed since long ago."
"I-Is that so?"
"It hasn't... Alright! Then, including those matters, let's have a good, long talk today. We'll eat delicious food, drink wine, and listen to each other's troubles and complaints about work and child-rearing. That too is the duty of a friend and a senior."
"Senpai... I am grateful."
"What, since we will be cooperating with each other from now on, there's no need for restraint. Just like in the old days."
Polko rang the bell again and instructed Pigu to hasten the dinner preparations. The two continued to talk long into the night, warming their old friendship.