---

The door to my words opened cautiously.

The person who entered was someone I had never seen before.

Clad in the attire of a maid I had often seen during my stays at the royal palace, she was the quintessential image of what comes to mind when one hears “maid.”

In retrospect, it’s not all that strange.

This world, while more advanced in certain aspects than what we perceive as ‘medieval’ or ‘Renaissance’, still existed in an era where royal power reigned supreme over everything.

For elves, instead of a structure of a ‘nation’, there is a council that meets periodically to decide what needs to be done in elven society. In a sense, it could be called a parliament, but if you consider whether it’s a democracy in the strictest sense, it doesn’t quite fit. There are no periodic elections, after all.

Perhaps someday the politics of this world will slowly shift towards a democratic system, but for now, that is not the case. It’s possible that Kalia, who has been studying how the politics of my world operates, might apply her own policies… but, well, Kalia is not royalty but a noble.

Kalia dreaming of a revolutionary change restricts her policies to some extent.

Regardless, the general atmosphere of this world resembled the imagery we commonly associate with a ‘fantasy world’. It was only natural for a maid to exist here.

That said, one shouldn’t treat them poorly. Serving as a maid at the royal castle means there’s a chance she’s the daughter of a powerful noble.

This was what I had heard from Kalia. For a while after that, I felt extremely awkward dealing with maids.

The maid who entered, bowing deeply, kept her gaze fixed on the floor, speaking in a polite tone.

“I apologize for the late hour.”

The act of looking down wasn’t to avoid making eye contact with us, but rather to maintain that level of politeness. The maids working in the royal palace… to be honest, it’s a bit awkward to say, but they walked around so bowed that it was as if they were worried about having a case of turtle neck syndrome before those of higher status.

I suppose that’s how manners work here.

Of course, they don’t show such a demeanor to just anyone. Typically, the people who receive that treatment are from the royal family.

However, they bowed deeply in front of the hero party. They wouldn’t bow that low even to mages from the Magic Tower or the people of the Duke’s household, but they were extremely respectful to my companions and me.

They know that if one of us were to leave the battlefield, it would harm the kingdom.

And if they determine that it’s because of ‘themselves’, they have no idea what kind of repercussions might fall upon them or their family. So, no one has to tell them to show their best respect.

Honestly, it made me a tad uncomfortable to see that kind of behavior.

“No problem.”

I said to the maid.

I figured that knocking on the door at such a late hour wasn’t her own will. Depending on the person, making a late-night visit can be a pretty sensitive matter. As such, visits to significant people usually got done during the day.

But if she was visiting at this hour, it was less likely to be out of her own volition and more because she received a request or command from someone much more powerful than herself.

At least it meant there was someone around to take responsibility for this level of rudeness.

“Duke Ruschvia has requested to meet you.”

“Duke Ruschvia?”

That referred to Kalia’s older brother, Louis.

I had heard that Kalia, Dana, Pia, and Arna had put quite a bit of effort into bringing me over to this world. They gathered people to pray, invoking divine power, which in turn allowed the goddess to perform miracles directly.

I had seen his face earlier. However, it wasn’t like I had a chat with him directly; I just saw him blended among the nobles.

Maybe Kalia had talked to him, considering I spent a significant amount of time chatting with His Majesty the King.

“Is it right now?”

“If you don’t wish to, you can postpone it to anytime. However, it was also mentioned that it would be better to converse as soon as possible.”

“Is that so.”

The Demon King had already fallen. So, it wouldn’t be something about the Demon King, the battlefield, or military matters.

In truth, despite my high personal standing, I didn’t hold any tremendous power. I had no claim to inheritance nor possessed any territory. After all, I intended to return once I finished my business in this world, so I had no desire for such things.

Of course, lesser nobles unaware of the situation misunderstood my position, either being wary of me or trying to get close to me, but I always kept my distance from them. Getting too close was just bothersome and uncomfortable.

So… I really had no clue about what kind of conversation might unfold between me and the Duke Ruschvia.

I only remembered that it had never been a particularly pleasant chat before.

“…Hmm.”

“I’m fine. I’ll wait here.”

My sister told me.

Hmm.

Still, that made me uneasy.

I knew very well that the chances of her encountering any incident within the palace were infinitely close to zero… but even so, this was still a rather unfamiliar place for her. It was a bit scary just leaving her alone.

“Kalia… no, but Grand Duke Ruschvia is also staying in the palace, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

The maid replied to my question.

Dana, for the moment, had returned to the Magic Tower. She said she wanted to at least glance through some of the piled-up work that had accumulated during her absence.

Pia also initially returned to the Church. The saintess had been away for a month, so many people gathered at the church. With people still around this late, there could be safety issues, so Pia planned to head over there directly to calm the chaos.

Although Arna was technically still in the palace… she was likely with other elves. There were elven ambassadors in the palace, and she must have had many things to discuss with them.

While Kalia held the title of commander of the knights, there was also a vice-commander, making it possible for her to delegate tasks. Moreover, at this hour, most knights other than the guards stationed around the palace would have gone home. Those living within the capital or those with family in the kingdom would have likely departed for their houses, or if not, to accommodations within the palace.

Of course, there would be tasks remaining. After all, she had been absent for a month, and even though the vice-commander had filled in, they still needed to provide a report on the matters carried out in the commander’s absence.

“Then could you guide us there for now?”

At my words, the maid bowed deeply.

*

The attire within the palace was somewhat eerie. Since most of the extravagant and bright lights had been sold off, the corridors were mostly illuminated by candles. Though they weren’t just any candles but rather high-quality ones, so they didn’t go out easily, compared to the magical lights, it was certainly darker.

Thus, we relied on the light the maid carried to find our way.

“Brother?”

Upon hearing our story, Kalia placed a hand on her forehead.

“…This is quite unfortunate. I apologize on behalf of Ruschvia.”

The actions of Kalia’s older brother, who had succeeded the title of Duke, represented Ruschvia. Hence, Kalia, being part of the same family, spoke this way.

“Well, it’s never been unhelpful to chat.”

Louis was somewhat a peculiar kind of guy.

Especially astute in political matters, he often brought up topics I hadn’t even thought of, and usually, those predictions turned out to be spot on, almost like prophecies.

Of course, he didn’t convey extremely detailed stories. Normally, it was rather vague and meandering, but… it’s true that I’d never find his insights unhelpful.

“…That might be true, but…”

Kalia looked toward my sister.

“I’m really fine.”

My sister quickly waved her hand.

Seeing my sister like that, Kalia smiled wryly and nodded at me.

“Then I’ll stay with you until you arrive. By all means, it’s better than leaving someone unfamiliar in a place like this alone.”

“Thank you.”

I replied to Kalia while giving my sister a nod.

“I’ll be back soon.”

“Yeah.”

Despite looking a bit uneasy, my sister smiled at me.

“Don’t worry too much. I’ll protect you with my life.”

I chuckled at Kalia’s joke. But still, with Kalia around, any situation would likely be safe.

“Well then…… I suppose we should go. To where Duke Ruschvia is.”

Feeling a bit more relaxed, I spoke to the maid.

“Yes, understood.”

After waving goodbye to my sister once more, I followed closely behind the maid leading the way.

 

---