13

“So these are all the floats. They really are magnificent.”

Before the fifty-two splendid floats, which carried each district’s honor and tax reduction on the line, Eugenia sighed.

“Indeed they are. Of course, the one made by my hands is the most beautiful.”

Ezra stroked the beautiful black float that was his proud work and answered Eugenia.

The floats that had received the Temple’s blessing were arranged to parade around the Royal Palace three times after this, then return to their respective districts and be displayed to the public.

Eugenia slowly went around looking at the floats, then received one marigold flower, which had completely become her symbol, from a maid, kissed it, and tucked it into the roof of each float one by one.

It was something Eugenia had specially wished for because she wanted to show a small token of gratitude to the subjects who were celebrating her awakening.

In both the council and the Temple, the princess’s sincerity was welcomed.

By the power of the magic Eugenia had bestowed, the marigolds would not wither until the autumn festival ended.

It was said that this year’s autumn festival was overflowing with far more people than usual, and was showing wonderful excitement, as people hoped to catch a glimpse of Eugenia’s marigolds and share in the blessing of recovery from illness.

Deep red, the symbol of the royal family, was a popular color used in the autumn festival, but this year, the orange and yellow of marigolds were used just as often, and the Royal Capital this year was beautiful, just like autumn leaves.

“This year’s autumn festival looks as though it will be unforgettable.”

Eugenia smiled.

“It truly looks as though it will be the most unforgettable autumn festival of this life. Living long is worth trying, it seems.”

“My, even though you said you had lived too long, Ezra-sama.”

“Did I say such a thing? Old folks are hopelessly forgetful. I only hope I have not carelessly forgotten various other important things as well.”

Ezra also smiled with a grin.

Many guests of honor from foreign countries had also been invited to the autumn festival.

For Eugenia, who had only just awakened through the elixir, there was a line of foreign envoys requesting audiences with her, and her schedule had been arranged down to the minute. It was said that Eugenia was boldly taking on all of them, saying, “I spent three years merely sleeping, after all.”

In the current royal family, known for its intense magical power supremacy and high-handed treatment of foreigners without magical culture and those with low magical power, the awakened Eugenia’s existence was greatly welcomed as a new star of the royal family.

As the creator of the elixir, Noel apparently had just as many, or even more, audience requests from all quarters as Eugenia did, but because Eugenia was taking on nearly all of those requests, Noel’s shut-in life was able to continue.

“I am counting on you.”

Eugenia murmured that, not speaking to anyone in particular.

Noel returned to his greenhouse work, and Rodney began maintaining magical tools.

A quiet day like today was just right for clearing away work that had piled up.

After the two of them put away the basket from the lunch they had finished eating, they each immersed themselves in their own work without a word.

It was a quiet early afternoon.

It was a quiet afternoon in which only the chirping of small birds echoed through the greenhouse.

(It’s about time this circuit needed large-scale repairs too.)

Rodney replaced the magic stone inside the magical tool and polished the brass parts.

It was an old magic power measuring device, and while it was not very good as a measuring instrument, it could detect types of magical power that were difficult to sense through magic, so it was an old item sometimes used during experiments.

The work of maintaining magical tools took a great deal of time and effort, so it could only be started when one had room in both heart and schedule.

For the past several years, though not to the extent Noel had been, Rodney had also been extremely busy, and seeing the state of damage of this magic power measuring device made him realize just how little room he had had in his days, to the point that he could not even find time to maintain his magical tools.

As Rodney absentmindedly and quietly polished the old brass magical tool, he felt as though the magical tool’s needle moved slightly with a faint tremble.

(That’s strange… Noel-sama is only pruning right now, so he is not using magical power.)

As Rodney turned the part over and checked for a malfunction, this time the needle unmistakably swung sharply and showed the detection of magical power.

“Noel-sama!”

Noel also seemed to have sensed the great magical power.

Dora, who had been napping defenselessly with her belly exposed until a moment ago, had raised her fur on end and fled all the way outside the greenhouse.

Something was happening.

Noel threw aside his pruning shears and ran toward Rodney.

“Rodney, what happened!”

However, Rodney seemed to have noticed something. Without answering that voice, Rodney collapsed on his rear, dripping snot, and shouted with tearful eyes.

“Gyaaah, Noel-sama! It’s disgusting! Geeeeh!!! Help me!!!!”

“Hey, pull yourself together. What on earth is this magical power??”

“That!! That thing!!”

At last, Noel helped Rodney up as he cried with his face covered in snot, and looked at the number indicated by the needle of the magical tool gripped in his hand.

(…The maximum value.)

This meant it was equivalent to the magical power of a boss-class monster, even among magical beasts.

(What on earth happened?)

“Gyaaah!! It’s disgusting!!!!”

When he looked in the direction of Rodney’s gaze as he continued to shout half in tears, there was the cocoon-like thing that had once been Nana-chan, which had stayed quietly unmoving all this time, glowing yellow and writhing stickily from right to left as though in agony.

“Kyaaah!!!”

Noel had been mentally preparing himself to meet an attack from boss-class magical power, and yet at the sight of this disgusting creature, he unintentionally screamed like a maiden together with Rodney and collapsed on his rear.

“What is that, Noel-sama???”

Rodney’s face was a mess from crying.

“…I-I don’t know. But the magical power has become incredible… Eeeh! Disgusting! Something stopped moving!!”

The two city boys had no resistance at all to disgusting insects.

The two fine magicians tried to retreat and escape while still collapsed on their rears.

Just as the thing that had once been Nana-chan seemed to have finished its rhythmic movement from side to side, the middle of the cocoon cracked with a snap, and some kind of disgusting, pus-like, viscous green fluid came out.

“Gyeeeeeh!!! Hey, let’s run away for now!!!!”

Noel let out a scream that did not sound at all like it had come from a man of very noble status, and the instant he grabbed the arm of Rodney, who had collapsed on his rear.

A dazzling flash spread soundlessly throughout the entire greenhouse, and Rodney and Noel’s vision turned pure white.