Chapter 119

We had been summoned to the royal palace by Gary, but Ria was in a state of utter panic.

Well, it couldn’t be helped.

A young girl who used to harvest magic stones in Ebba-berg had suddenly been called to the royal palace.

It was only natural for her to be nervous.

“T-T-The royal palace?! Won’t I be thrown into prison for lese-majesty?!”

Saxens wasn’t that lawless of a country.

I understood her feelings, but Gary had explicitly singled Ria out by name.

The Chancellor and the others already knew of Ria’s existence.

Skipping out on this was probably out of the question.

“Let’s calm down. It’ll be fine, since they’re the ones who asked us to come.”

“But is it really okay for me to dress like this?”

Ria’s outfit was just the everyday clothing of an ordinary citizen.

Apparently, she didn’t own any formal wear.

“That’s a dilemma. My clothes are too large, and Fiene’s clothes are too small.”

Lady Clara stood at 173 centimeters tall, whereas Fiene was only 143 centimeters.

That little kid’s Saxens military uniform had to be custom-made…

I wondered if Fiene was doing well.

She had gone on an errand to Ebba-berg Village and hadn’t returned yet.

If there was time, I should go pick her up on my motorcycle.

While I was at it, setting up a portal in Ebba-berg seemed like a convenient idea.

“How about borrowing something from Emma?” Nice idea, Yoshioka.

Emma was roughly the same height and build as Ria.

“Understood. I shall ask her myself.”

If Lady Clara made the request, Emma would undoubtedly grant it.

As a token of appreciation, maybe I should present Emma with a hand cream imported from Earth.

The conference room we were led into was wrapped in a heavily solemn atmosphere.

It appeared we were the last attendees to arrive.

Everyone else was already seated.

Yoshioka and I had ultimately decided to come in our military uniforms after much agonizing, but no matter how you looked at it, we were completely out of place.

This was not a meeting meant for low-ranking grunts like a Sergeant Major and a Corporal.

Every single attendee was a figure positioned at the very core of this country.

The ministers were clearly furrowing their brows at the sight of us.

Their expressions practically shouted that attendants should be waiting in a separate room.

Once all the relevant parties were assembled, Chancellor Count Nurenberg, who sat at the absolute head of the table, spoke up.

“It seems everyone is present, so let us begin. You two, the Sergeant Major and the Corporal, take your seats as well. I have heard from Gary that you are among the relevant parties.”

Though I had met the Chancellor several times, he didn’t seem to realize that we were Shonai and Kawagoe.

“First, we shall have the shrine maiden of the temple, who received the divine oracle, explain the situation.”

A woman draped in white holy vestments stood up soundlessly.

She possessed pure white hair and carried an air of mystique.

She looked like a young girl, yet depending on the angle of the light, she could also appear to be quite advanced in age.

She was incredibly elusive.

Her expression was ethereal, lacking any sense of reality, as if she existed in a world of profound mystery.

Her voice was remarkably clear and carried well, yet it gave off the impression of an elderly person rather than a young girl.

“An oracle has been granted by our guardian angel, Lord Seraphim. It dictates that three days from now, at midnight, the doors to a new labyrinth shall open beneath Dresden.”

Instantly, the room broke into a low buzz.

While everyone carried tense expressions, they didn’t seem overwhelmed by despair.

In fact, they looked as though they welcomed the emergence of the new dungeon.

The appearance of a new labyrinth meant an expected increase in the supply of magic stones, and as long as it could be managed properly, it was a desirable development for the nation.

Silencing the murmurs of the crowd, the Chancellor questioned the shrine maiden.

“And did Lord Seraphim speak of anything else?”

“Upon the dungeon’s emergence, preparations for containment and management are to be carried out under the leadership of Hero Gary, alongside Knight Bachelor Clara Ansbach, the adventurer Ria Geist, and Rosetta Urbano representing the Knights Templar.”

Curious glances from the attendees descended upon Lady Clara, Ria, and the other knight from the temple.

I wondered if this temple knight was Rosetta Urbano.

With chestnut hair flowing down to her waist and a gentle countenance, she didn’t look like a knight at all.

Instead, she gave off the impression of a shrine priestess.

However, her most prominent feature… how should I put it… her figure was incredible.

Since today was a meeting, she wasn’t wearing any armor, opting instead for standard holy vestments, but her voluptuous body was completely obvious even over the loose-fitting fabric.

She was strictly curved in all the right places.

She had to be beloved by the god of harvest and Aphrodia, the goddess of love.

I mobilized every ounce of my willpower to try and avoid staring at Rosetta’s body.

While I was busy suppressing my desires with reason, the shrine maiden explained the precise location and scale of the dungeon’s entrance.

“I see. I have grasped the general outline. We must devise countermeasures immediately, but above all else, containing the dungeon is our highest priority. We cannot allow monsters to overrun the royal capital, after all. That being said, given that the location is the underground aqueducts, what scale of forces can we deploy?”

Viscount Kalburg, the Chief of the Royal Capital City Guard, answered.

This man used to be our superior officer.

“The width of the aqueducts is roughly eight meters at most. When it comes to the pathways, they are just under four meters.”

“So deploying large units is out of the question…”

“Yes. Furthermore, due to the risk of cave-ins, utilizing magic cannons would likely be difficult…”

“I see. Which means it is time for the Hero and his companions to step forward. The primary members are as the shrine maiden explained. Allow me to formally introduce the party members to everyone.”

The Chancellor proceeded to introduce Gary, Lady Clara, Rosetta, and Ria to the attendees in turn.

“I am Ria Geist. Guided by Lord Seraphim, I have come to assist as a summoner.”

Though her voice trembled slightly, Ria delivered her greeting splendidly.

Upon hearing Ria’s greeting, the Minister of Military Affairs spoke up.

“I have no objections if she is a summoner of the divine oracle, but where do you intend to place Ria Geist’s official affiliation?”

As the conversation progressed, I realized that this was tied into court faction struggles.

For instance, Lady Clara belonged to the Royal Guard Regiment, albeit for a fixed term, and since she was scheduled to become a Baron, she was positioned as a representative of the nobility.

On the other hand, Rosetta belonged to the temple, and Gary held a position directly under the King.

Thus, even when forming a party, a balance of power existed, and because of this, they wanted to clarify Ria’s affiliation.

It was incredibly absurd, but it seemed to be a crucial matter tied to future labyrinth concessions.

Still, I wished they would do this sort of thing when Ria wasn’t in the room.

“If she is a summoner of the divine oracle, the temple shall take her under its protection,” the Archbishop declared.

“If she is Hero Gary’s partner, would it not be better for them to share the same affiliation?” the Chancellor countered.

“In order to impart a proper baseline of knowledge, it would be best to enlist her into the Royal Guards,” the Minister of Military Affairs added.

At this rate, Ria was going to be used as a convenient pawn in their court struggles.

That was a situation we absolutely had to avoid.

Just as I was about to rely on the power of Courage x6 and raise my hand, a voice rang out.

“Ria Geist is a resident of my territory, Ebba-berg. Her person remains under my protection even now.”

Lady Clara’s voice echoed through the room.

Her voice carried an undeniable weight and resolve that brooked no argument.

At its core was a sense of affection aimed at protecting Ria.

“B-But…” the Minister of Military Affairs attempted to press further.

As the one who had brought Ria out to the royal capital, I couldn’t remain silent either.

“Ria Geist is an existence that follows the will of the God of Space-Time. She must not be integrated into any single organization.”

My statement caused the minister’s face to flush bright red.

“You insolent dog! This is no place for a mere soldier to speak! Know your station!”

Wearing our military uniforms had truly been a mistake.

Even so, I couldn’t back down here.

“No matter what you say, that is the will of the God of Space-Time.”

Probably…

“How impertinent! Guards! Drag this man out of here!”

Just as the minister issued the command, a clear voice echoed once more.

“You must not.”

Looking over, the shrine maiden of the temple had stood up before anyone realized it.

“These gentlemen are summoned beasts dispatched by the God of Space-Time, and are dependents of our guardian angel, Lord Seraphim. Please forgive my delayed greeting.”

The temple officials rose as one and bowed to us.

The ministers, on the other hand, were left hanging their mouths open in shock.

I see.

It looked like we had also been used as a foil in the court struggles.

The temple officials knew our true identities all along and deliberately kept it from the rest of the room.

They might have done it to intentionally sour relations between the military and us, even if just a little.

“M-My apologies,” the Minister of Military Affairs muttered.

It was quite a bizarre sight to see a Minister of Military Affairs apologizing to a non-commissioned officer.

“Though it is a temporary arrangement, I am registered with the Saxens military as an attendant to Lady Clara Ansbach. Please do not pay it any mind.”

Personally, I had no intention of fighting with anyone.

I wanted to be all things to all people as much as possible.

I felt like the legendary gangster, Al Capone, once said something along those lines: if you want to get along smoothly, avoid making specific enemies as much as possible.