One morning, while I was eating breakfast in the dining hall of Lilia-san’s mansion, Anima entered with a letter in hand.
Since my own house was complete, my mail was now delivered there instead of to the estate, and Anima handled most of the sorting. Unlike the early days, I no longer received invitations to tea parties or social functions from various nobles. My correspondence had dwindled to personal letters from a few friends, such as Chris-san and Noin-san.
Ordinarily, Anima left routine mail in my room. The fact that she had brought this one to me personally suggested it came from an unexpected source—and was likely quite important.
"Master, I’m sorry to disturb your meal, but there is a letter I would like you to review immediately."
"Does that mean it’s something urgent?"
"Most likely... It is a letter from the Central Cathedral of Friendly City Hikari."
"Oh?"
Anima presented a beautiful envelope made of high-quality paper, sealed with an elaborate wax stamp. Intimidated by its formal appearance, I glanced at Lilia-san, who was seated across from me.
"That seal is reserved for the Pope-sama," she explained. "It must be from her. Perhaps it concerns your meeting at the White God Festival the other day?"
"Ah, that makes sense. Let’s see..."
Lilia-san’s explanation cleared up my confusion. Since we had only exchanged brief greetings back then, she was likely reaching out to follow up formally.
I broke the seal and scanned the contents. The paper was packed with text—densely written in archaic, formal language that was a struggle to decipher.
"U-Um... the phrasing is so stiff that I’m having trouble with some of it, but to summarize: she wants to greet me properly. She’s invited me to visit the Central Cathedral whenever my schedule allows."
"It stands to reason," Lilia-san noted. "If the Pope-sama were to travel to the capital of the Kingdom of Sinfonia, it would cause a massive uproar. This is likely a consideration on her part."
Lilia-san’s guess was almost certainly correct. The letter was filled with a staggering number of words expressing the Pope's profound regret for having to summon me, suggesting she had agonized over the decision.
Personally, I didn't mind. I had registered the Friendly City in my teleportation magic tool during the Hero Festival, so getting there was easy. Besides, I had been looking for an excuse to visit Hikari when it wasn't so crowded. I decided I would write a reply, coordinate a schedule, and make the trip.
After finishing my response to the Pope, I spent some time leisurely flipping through a travel guide I had bought at a bookstore. I wanted to seriously consider the trip Fate-san and I had discussed during the White God Festival.
The plan was to spend a few nights relaxing in a quiet place. Between meeting the Six Kings' Executives and the festival itself, life had been a whirlwind lately. I felt a personal need to unwind as well.
Choosing a location, however, was difficult. Based on Fate-san’s preferences, famous tourist traps were out of the question, but a place with absolutely nothing to do would be boring. I envisioned somewhere that wasn't particularly popular but offered beautiful scenery and pleasant walks.
A lakeside cottage sounded ideal, but such places were hard to find. Most destinations featured in magazines were popular for a reason, and finding a hidden gem was proving a challenge.
As I turned the pages, a feature on "Super High-end Spots" caught my eye. It included the resort I had visited with Sieg-san before. Seeing it described as an "illusory high-end resort" made me realize all over again what an incredible place it had been. Then, I noticed another destination in the same feature.
It was a beautiful lakeside area where one could rent an entire cottage. Despite being in a secluded, lush green area, it was meticulously managed, meaning there were no concerns about monsters. Because it was for private rental only, it was extremely expensive, but it promised a truly quiet, private getaway.
Unlike the previous resort, which offered various activities, this place had none of those things. It was strictly for enjoying a slow, peaceful vacation—exactly what I was looking for.
I wondered if it was as popular as the other resort. I decided to send a query to the merchant guild acting as the reservation desk to check for availability. Since I had just replied to the Pope, my writing set was still out. If it was fully booked, I would just look elsewhere.
Two days after I sent the inquiry, a reply arrived.
"It is available anytime," the letter said. It had come directly from Chris-san.
I was surprised, but upon checking the details, I realized the resort was located within the Arclesia Empire. Chris-san wrote that if I gave her the word, she would clear the schedule for my preferred dates immediately.
I felt a little guilty for receiving such special treatment, but since the offer was on the table, I decided I would check with Fate-san and take Chris-san up on her kindness if our schedules aligned.
Serious-senpai: "Chris is definitely pumping her fist in victory right now."
???: "The Hydra Kingdom just boosted its prestige with its own tourist spots, so Arclesia probably felt they were falling behind. Now Kaito-san is planning a trip to their empire with a Supreme God in tow. Of course you'll get a reservation... She'll clear that schedule even if she has to do it by force."