I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace (WN)

Chapter 2470 - Movie Watching with Kaori ⑥

When I headed toward the Imperial Castle together with Kaori-san, it seemed everything had already been arranged. Waiting in front of the gate was the person assigned to guide us…… or rather, Alexandra-san, no, Aria-san.

With Aria-san leading the way, we entered the castle. As we walked down the corridor, Kaori-san muttered with a deeply moved look on her face.

[……Being escorted inside without even a body check, even though we’re outsiders…… as expected of Kaito-kun.]

[Ah, now that you mention it, normally if you’re meeting the Emperor, they’d check whether you’re carrying any dangerous items, right? ……But wouldn’t that be pointless if you just put them into a Magic Box?]

[Eh? No, there’s the Box Lock Magic……]

[……Eh?]

Just when I thought a body check would be meaningless if dangerous items were hidden in a Magic Box, it seemed there was actually a magic designed specifically for that situation.

[There’s a magic called Box Lock that, with the owner’s consent, renders a Magic Box unusable for a fixed period of time. It’s a special Enchantment Magic that has no effect without the other party’s agreement, but it’s also used during ceremonies like the Festival of Heroes.]

[I- I see…… I’ve never had it cast on me even once though……]

[Must be because you’re treated like a VIP……]

From a security standpoint, it certainly made sense that there would be a magic capable of temporarily restricting a Magic Box. Still, I had visited all three nations’ castles before, and not once had I been subjected to Box Lock, no one had even suggested it.

[I apologize for interrupting your conversation, but there are mainly two reasons for that…… First, any magic that imposes such restrictions simply doesn’t work on Miyama-sama, who bears the God of Creation’s Blessing. In the first place, Miyama-sama…… or rather, Phantasmal King-sama who guards you could wipe out everyone in this castle in mere seconds if she wished. So if Miyama-sama intended to attack with malicious intent, we couldn’t have prevented it in the first place, making such restrictions meaningless.]

[……Ah, I see.]

Having overheard my conversation with Kaori-san, Aria-san explained why no one had ever proposed casting Box Lock on me.

The two reasons were that Shiro-san’s Blessing rendered it ineffective, and that sealing my Magic Box wouldn’t accomplish much anyway.

[Shallow Vernal-sama’s Blessing sure is amazing, isn’t it?]

[It is, but I still don’t fully understand what effects it actually has.]

I’d been told that Shiro-san’s Blessing stood above all other Blessings, but I didn’t really know its detailed effects. Even Shiro-san herself had just tilted her head and said “Who knows?”, so I simply assumed it came with all sorts of effects.

Chatting like that as we walked, we soon arrived at the reception room. When we entered, Chris-san was already there.

[Miyama-sama, Kaori-san, welcome. Thank you as well, Head Maid, for escorting them. Please prepare tea for three……]

[Certainly.]

[Please, both of you, have a seat here.]

Prompted by Chris-san, who welcomed us with a smile, we sat down on the sofa in the reception room.

[Hello, Chris-san. Sorry for coming so suddenly today.]

[You weren’t busy with work, were you?]

[No, not at all. I happened to be free when I received your message, so there was no problem whatsoever.]

I hadn’t come with any particular purpose in mind, but Chris-san welcomed us warmly, chatting lightly with Kaori-san with a calm expression.

Once their conversation reached a natural pause, I spoke up.

[……Chris-san, it seems things have gotten pretty noisy in Archlesia lately because of me. I’m sorry about that.]

[Oh no, it’s true that it’s been surprising, but in terms of the nation’s interests, the benefits have been tremendous, so much so that I’m actually grateful…… if they’d happened one at a time, that is.]

[Huh?]

[No, pardon me. It’s nothing.]

It felt like she added something under her breath at the end, but her voice was too quiet for me to make it out. In any case, it seemed to be benefiting the nation, which was a relief.

[In truth, it’s only that the timing was moved up a bit. I’d already thought that we would eventually need to make changes to western logistics.]

[Hmmm, I don’t really understand that sort of thing, but wouldn’t it cost a lot of money?]

[Certainly, it does require a budget. However, with the land under God of Fate’s Divine Protection and the Founding Festival, the overall economy is booming, and the national treasury is well supplied. That said, when it comes to an organization as large as a nation, moving money and personnel requires approvals and meetings from all sides, so the number of meetings has increased somewhat compared to before.]

She is busy, but from Chris-san’s perspective, maybe this is also a development she’d been hoping for?

[Ah, Chris-san. Here…… you might not need it, but consider it an apology, or maybe a souvenir. It’s a tea made by Canalis-san that’s effective against stomachaches caused by mental stress, so if you’d like……]

[……This is a most welcome gift. My heartfelt thanks…… I shall drink it regularly.]

……Arehh? For just a moment, it felt like her expression turned extremely exhausted…… Maybe she really is quite busy after all? Still, it’s not like there’s anything specific I can do to help, and if I tried something half-baked and ended up inviting a new round of trouble, that would be disastrous. Better not pry unnecessarily.

[……Ahh, speaking of tea, I’m actually thinking of organizing a tea party soon.]

[……………………….Huh?]

[……Kaito-kun, are you trying to make Chris-san drink that tea right away? You trying to solve a problem you’re now trying to instigate?]

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [The currently confirmed participants are Shiro, Olivia, Alice, and Lilia (she hasn’t even been invited yet, but her attendance is basically settled), and he’s trying to drag her into what can only be described as a banquet from hell.]