The Phoenix Count’s domain was an exceedingly bustling place.
Because of the phrase “defending the borderlands,” I had first imagined some rather barren place battered by blizzards. Contrary to that, green meadows stretched here and there, and it was a place where many people came and went.
And naturally, we were drawing an incredible amount of attention.
—“A strange giant is entering the city!”
—“Call the guards at once! Evacuate the people!”
—“It’s an imperial attack! An imperial raid! It’s not? What are you talking about?!”
They must have known we were coming, but perhaps they had never heard we would arrive like this, because the walls and the city were thrown into an uproar.
And after belatedly hearing that the Caterpillar Golem would not be able to move around the city easily, we had to park it outside the walls for the time being.
We had already taken every measure to keep anyone from taking it, and the people from Mina’s merchant group who had come with us agreed to stand guard for now, so we entered the city without worry.
“Salute to Lady Erica Phoenix!”
“Mm! Thank you for your hard work!”
There had been a brief commotion, but once it was revealed that the one riding it was Erica, the one and only young lady of the Phoenix Count’s house, the soldiers and knights immediately formed ranks and saluted. Erica reached out a hand and commended them.
And then, escorted by the knights, we headed straight for the count’s castle.
“A whole castle as a house….”
“It’s more like a villa. The main castle is farther toward the center than this place, and this is the sort of place we use before heading out to the gateway. And the important members of the family are at the borderlands.”
“That’s normal… Ah, I suppose the Arclight territory is an extremely frugal place?”
At Noel and Erica’s words, I couldn’t help but let out a faint laugh.
So these people were at the level where they could call an entire castle a villa.
“When you have a lot of money and power, it really is something else.”
A castle that could easily be called the main castle of some territory was just a modest villa.
At my impression, Professor Reina nodded and spoke.
“…It’s a bit late to say this, but once you get to the level of a margrave or a ducal house, the scale is literally different. Just think of them as people from another world.”
“I never imagined I’d feel a sense of kinship with you, Professor.”
“That’s disgusting, so don’t.”
Professor Reina narrowed her eyes and edged slightly away.
I feel a sense of distance.
In any case, since Professor Reina had said she was originally from commoner stock, it seemed her impression was similar to mine.
My own life had been no different from that of a commoner’s, too.
“House Krista also only has one mansion and one villa.”
“I didn’t particularly want to know that.”
“…I’m sorry. I was being inconsiderate.”
When I answered Mina’s words with a bit of a joke, Noel apologized.
Deciding it was about time to leave the topic of houses there, I looked around.
“I heard relations with the Argent Empire aren’t good, but the amount of goods moving through here is incredible.”
“You don’t think people stop eating meat and bread just because there’s a war, do you?”
It seemed that even if relations with the Argent Empire were bad, the flow of goods from merchants did not completely stop.
Of course, apparently, once war was truly on the verge of breaking out, this kind of scene would vanish as if it had never existed.
“Meaning that until the merchants disappear from the Phoenix Count’s domain, war won’t break out.”
Exchanging words like that, we finally arrived at the luxurious castle that was practically the Phoenix Count’s villa.
As soon as we entered, maids and butlers that looked as if they had stepped out of a painting appeared from every direction.
“Welcome back, my lady. As you informed us, preparations have been made in advance.”
“The rooms and attendants for your companions…”
“We can talk about that later. Is there anything I need to know?”
When Erica asked the elderly man who seemed to be the head butler straight to the point, he nodded.
“The Count is currently here.”
“Father is? Why?”
I had definitely heard earlier that the major members of the count’s house were at the border.
As the commander, the count should have been there as well, or at least in the main castle, but apparently he had come here.
Seeing Erica surprised as well, it was clearly not something that had been planned.
And the head butler politely spoke to Erica again.
“He said he wished to see the giant of the rumors with his own eyes.”
Telling us to hear the details inside, the head butler guided us further in.
****
When we arrived at the reception room, there was a giant.
“Father!!”
“Wahahahaha!! You’ve come! My daughter!”
For a moment, I saw Noel go slightly blank in surprise at a volume that was hard to believe came from only two people.
And then the giant with red hair and a red beard, who was Erica’s father, looked straight at Professor Reina and immediately began to beam.
“Vice Knight Commander Reina! No, Professor Reina! It truly has been a long time! It feels like about five years!”
“You are as hale as ever, Count. It has been a long time.”
“And you must be the young lady of House Nexia! If you have been getting along well with my daughter, then I offer you my heartfelt gratitude!”
“I-It is I who has been in her care. Thank you for your hospitality, Count.”
“And are you two Erica’s friends?! Glad to meet you!”
Does this man not know Mina and me…? I wondered, but judging by Mina’s expression, it seemed to be a common occurrence.
Unlike me, Mina quickly put on the mask of a noble young lady and greeted him.
“I am Mina Krista of House Krista, the fifth Saintess of the Saras Order, Count. It is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Ah… that merchant family? I heard you were clever, and it seems that was true! I sincerely apologize for not recognizing you right away! We have never had occasion to form ties, so I was ignorant!”
It did not seem that the count harbored any particular ill will. Rather, it seemed the position of House Krista was simply not as impressive as I had thought.
Come to think of it, Mina also tended to introduce herself first as a Saintess of the Saras Order rather than as a member of House Krista. That was probably why.
“So who are you?”
Unlike the hearty greetings he had given until now, the count looked at me quite seriously, and as if on guard.
“Aizen Arclight.”
There was nothing I couldn’t answer.
When I answered confidently, the count’s expression changed slightly in an amused way.
“Arclight… a baronial house?”
“A collateral line of a landed noble house without a title.”
“So it was a house whose history is not very long. Pardon me.”
The count let out a sigh.
“This may be an excuse, but with titles separate from ranks, it’s terribly confusing to memorize. They say nobles with territory are eighth rank or higher, but titles are based on what was bestowed in the past, so there are those with titles but no territory, and those with territory but no title. It’s all quite arbitrary.”
Of course, ordinarily, having a title meant the house had that much history, so it was basically expected to have territory attached. But then there were also nobles who had only ever worked at court.
“To be honest, I also think it’s damn confusing.”
“Sir Aizen! That is not something you say in an official setting!”
Noel was slightly startled and immediately scolded me.
And she seemed about to step forward to apologize in my place, but…
“Wahahahaha!! I agree, young man!!”
Count Phoenix seemed to be in a better mood.
Unlike before, his expression had eased a little.
“I like that you simply say exactly what you think. Creator of the Cyclops. I like you because you’re different from that slippery, oily snake of a man.”
“Since you’re mentioning the Cyclops, I suppose you want to hear about the Cyclops?”
Count Phoenix nodded.
“My daughter says she purchased three of them at once for a considerable sum. As her father, shouldn’t I see whether she overspent or bought them well for cheap?”
It was said jokingly, but what the count meant was absolutely not that.
“You want to see how useful they’ll be in combat against the empire, then?”
“Correct, young man!”
The market might still be lively, but the atmosphere of war with the empire had been growing more intense, enough to have been mentioned several times already.
“For now, the situation is still closer to probing each other, so there is plenty of possibility that it can be avoided. But we discover their assassins or spies coming and going three times a month. It makes me want to shout at them to do it in moderation!”
I could understand why Count Phoenix wanted proper weapons of war.
With them engaging in probing moves to that degree, it must have felt like he was being slowly withered away.
Of course, though we might not know it, the kingdom was likely carrying out its own intense probing as well. But from the position of the one holding them off, it was only natural to wish for the situation to improve in a more favorable direction.
“So the situation is that bad.”
“That is not the case. Do the knights of our Phoenix Count’s domain look like a joke to you? We are strong enough to repel the empire’s attack on our own.”
The count declared confidently that even if battle broke out, he was fully confident of victory.
“However, that does not mean I want war to break out recklessly, young man.”
“So you want weapons of war like the Cyclops, is that it?”
I was starting to understand what this conversation was about.
Perhaps seeing my face, the count seemed to realize I had caught on.
“Young man. Whether avoiding war or winning it, what do you think is the best method?”
“If you strike me, you won’t come out unscathed either.”
Was it that war only really failed to occur when national strength was more or less equal?
At the very least, I vaguely remembered that it was better to give the impression that attacking would result in losses.
Judging by his expression, rather than wanting power in order to win a war, the count seemed to want it as a deterrent.
While Professor Reina stared at me in genuine shock, the count laughed loudly and spoke.
“Rumors really are all over the place. It seems one has to see for oneself to know.”
“Is that so?”
“When I first heard of you, someone said you were a madman who would cross over to an enemy nation as much as you pleased, so long as you could make golems.”
“Hahaha.”
I couldn’t guarantee that myself, though.
How troubling.
But the count said no more about it.
“Now, enough of these heavy topics! Since you’ve come all this way, shouldn’t you enjoy a proper meal? I even brought my personal chef especially, so at the very least, let us ease the fatigue of travel before talking further!”
“It’s been a while since I’ve eaten a lot of delicious food!”
At the mention that the meal would be prepared with specialties of the count’s domain, Erica brightened radiantly.
And the count grinned as he said,
“If there is any dish you want, say so. You saw it on your way here, didn’t you? Countless goods pass through this place, so most foods you desire can be made! Ah, fish might be a little difficult.”
Apparently, since this was an inland region, eating fish was difficult.
It wasn’t as if I absolutely wanted to eat fish dishes, so that was fine, but…
“Food, huh.”
Perhaps because I had seen all sorts of things while passing through the market earlier, he was asking.
If there was something I wanted to eat, they could make most of it.
Maybe it was because I had eaten too many steamed potatoes since long ago, but one thing did come to mind.
“I want to eat fried potatoes.”
“Potatoes? But why would you fry potatoes?”
“So they really don’t exist.”
Seeing Noel ask as if she had never heard of it before, it seemed the concept really did not exist.
If they did not exist, then it couldn’t be helped… was not where the matter ended.
“Tell me what you thought of.”
Our patron was waiting to sell off the recipe.