Episode 54. A Sudden Guest
The castle was being rebuilt at a rapid pace.
Thanks to Solein's support, all the village men were rushing to help with the work, and with the Hiloshine residents returning, the pace was picking up.
Renisha watched the process with a smile.
"I heard the women of the territory are out with hoes and baskets, digging for black snake scales. The amount is increasing by the day, and they say this amount will be enough to craft knights' weapons and armor."
Renisha nodded slowly at Lindy's report.
"That mineral will need a new name, I suppose. We can't call it Black Snake Scale forever, and there's no need to let the outside world know about the Black Snake's existence. Mithril. How about Mithril?"
"I think it's a suitable name, Madam. It's easy to say, and it doesn't seem to have any connection to snakes."
“Good. Then spread this story around. And are you keeping a close eye on Henry?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Nothing unusual?”
“Yes. There were no major issues other than doing what needed to be done. There was no contact with the outside world.”
“Hmm.”
When Laxus sent Henry, it was likely for surveillance purposes.
For Renisha, Henry was a necessary evil.
She needed someone to act as the castle’s butler, and she had to accept him to avoid Laxus’s suspicions.
But at the same time, he was also an element of anxiety.
Even if Henry had made a secret pact with Renisha, she must not forget that Laxus was his master.
Henry could easily tell Laxus everything if necessary.
“Laxus is quiet, too. I don’t know what he’s up to.”
Renisha muttered.
Turiel had also been quiet since Canary’s letter.
Turiel seemed intent on using Canary as her pawn, but that was something she could leave to Turiel.
“Should I assign more people to Henry?”
“Good. We must be especially careful in times like these.”
Having confirmed that the Hiloshine people were returning to their original positions, Renisha moved on to the next step.
She activated the forge and had them craft weapons and armor there.
In addition to the knights Kassius had brought, she began training Hiloshine applicants as knights.
The young men repaired the castle morning and afternoon, while the few applicants trained at night.
It was no easy task to train ordinary people to become knights in such a short period of time.
However, these people were born and raised in Hiloshine. They had been fed abundantly by the Black Serpent’s energy.
Kassius had said that thanks to this, they were achieving quickly.
“...By next spring at the latest.”
Perhaps then, Renisha would achieve her goal. News from the capital city snapped Renisha out of her trance.
She understood why Laxus hadn’t contacted Henry.
He had sent someone himself.
All the village children gathered.
It was to observe the new guests from the castle.
Isabella joined them, tiptoeing.
After sharing her true feelings, children her age began hanging out with her.
Today, she'd been wandering around town, pretending to be a grown-up, offering to help out, and when she heard that guests from the castle were coming, she came running.
Isabella pulled her hat down tightly.
The maids had put it on her to keep her face from getting sunburned, but she hadn't imagined it would be so helpful.
The overalls she'd been given to make it easy for her to move around with the children also helped conceal her identity.
The nobles wouldn't have imagined a noble lady like this.
Isabella checked the location of the knights watching her.
If anything happened, they would get her out of here.
Her little heart pounded at the mention of guests from the castle.
The giant horse pushed its way through the gathered children.
It was a long procession.
"What? Who did the castle send? Do you understand, Isabella?"
Isabella shook her head.
"I didn't get a good look at his face."
"I did. You mean the man standing right in front? He was really handsome! As handsome as His Excellency the Duke!"
"That's not true. The Duke is really, really handsome? You don't find faces that handsome anywhere. My mother was like that."
Isabella's shoulders rose a hand's length at the children's innocent praise.
"And so is Lady Renisha. I thought an angel had come when I first saw her, didn't shr?"
"Yes, yes."
As Isabella listened intently to their stories, shrugging, the knights protecting Isabella appeared and said to her,
"Lady, I think we should go back."
"Huh? What happened?"
Isabella asked the knight with a surprised look.
By now, she was used to the knights jokingly praising the young lady.
"Lady Renisha is looking for you."
"...What happened..."
Isabella repeated her question, unanswered.
The knight smiled as if nothing had happened.
"Don't worry, Isabella. Nothing will happen."
The knight pressed the top of Isabella's hat.
Compared to before, she looked much more girlish now.
The knight bent down to meet Isabella's eye level.
“I’ll protect you, so don’t worry about anything. Understand, my lady?”
Isabella nodded.
Lindy breathed a sigh of relief after confirming Isabella’s safe return. The Emperor had sent messengers from the castle.
There could be a spy among them.
The Prince of Shamdir had said he would visit Hiloshine on his way back to say goodbye, and the Emperor had sent Count Calliot.
They were all friendly to Renisha, but it would be better to prevent any trouble before it arose.
“My lady, it would be best for you to return to your room now.”
“Yes.”
Isabella nodded without saying anything.
Renisha’s decisions were always for Isabella’s sake.
There was no doubt about it.
Lindy felt relieved only after personally placing Isabella in the arms of her nanny. He even closed Isabella’s room himself.
When Lindy returned to Renisha, she was greeting guests with Kassius.
“Are you finally returning to Shamdir?”
“Yes, Lady Renisha.”
Meteo politely kissed the back of Renisha’s hand.
Kassius’s eyebrows twitched at that moment.
He grabbed Renisha’s shoulder, forcing her back, and cleared his throat.
“Thank you for stopping by. This is my first time at Hiloshine, so I understand there may be some shortcomings. When do you plan on leaving?”
“The journey here was quite arduous. I plan to return after recovering from the travel fatigue for a while.”
Meteo and Kassius’s eyes met.
Meteo had given off a somewhat meaningful air when they had met privately the day before.
Kassius nodded slowly.
Clearly, Meteo would not return until he had revealed the secret he was keeping.
Kassius glanced at Renisha.
Renisha’s expression was unchanged. He didn’t particularly like Meteo’s presence near Renisha.
Meteo was a young Prince, renowned for his resourcefulness.
Moreover, he had been openly showing favor towards Renisha.
And Kassius disliked the way Meteo looked at her.
“Then get over your travel fatigue first. I will prepare dinner for you tonight. As you can see, the castle is in this state, so it may be lacking as the Duke said.”
“It’s alright. I was in such a hurry that I couldn’t even contact you. Just offering me a place to sleep would be fine.”
Renisha nodded.
While Lindy selected good rooms and assigned them to the guests, Renisha met with Count Calliot.
Kassius was with them.
Count Calliot glanced around the enclosed drawing room, his face a little relieved.
The wary man was checking the surroundings for any spies.
“How did this happen?”
“It is as I told you. Prince Meteo has expressed his intention to visit Hiloshine, and the Emperor has appointed me to guard him.”
Renisha was lost in thought for a moment.
Those brought by Count Calliot were those he had personally raised.
Furthermore, the number of knights was relatively small, considering the large number of people guarding him.
"Do you know why Prince Meteo came here?"
Judging by Calliot's reaction, Meteo's purpose for visiting seemed to be not a bad one.
Renisha felt a sense of relief involuntarily.
"...It would be better if you heard and saw for yourself."
"I see."
“There’s a message from the Emperor. Would you like to hear it?”
Renisha frowned.
“What?”
“...He said you could come and stay in the Imperial Palace if you wish.”
“What?”
Renisha chuckled.
She knew Laxus was crazy, but she didn’t know it would be this bad.
“What’s the Emperor thinking right now? He keeps postponing the wedding. Canary has already been crowned Empress, and it’s humiliating that they can’t even have a wedding. But the Emperor doesn’t seem to care much about that.”
“Nonsense.”
Kassius cut her off coldly.
Their gazes turned to Kassius.
Kassius, who was sitting beside Renisha with his arms crossed, gritted his teeth.
“Renisha isn’t going anywhere.”
“Kassius.”
Renisha’s voice had a hint of laughter.
“Nowhere, without me.”
Renisha placed a hand on Kassius’s firm arm.
A faint flash of anger turned to Renisha.
“Right, Renisha?”
“Of course, Kassius. I won’t go anywhere without you.”
Renisha patted Kassius’s arm.
Count Calliot watched him with a strange expression.
It suddenly occurred to him that Renisha and Kassius were surprisingly well-matched.
Moreover, they looked like a normal couple. He thought they were just politically entangled...
“...The Emperor must have ulterior motives. He’s not showing Renisha any unnecessary favors. That’s what I’m worried about.”
“I know what you mean.”
Renisha smiled faintly.
Then, in a voice only Kassius could hear, she whispered,
“You’re jealous. I know that, Kassius.”
Kassius froze.
Jealous?
Jealous of Laxus? Me?
“Me, me?”
Renisha whispered again to the stammering Kassius.
"Then? It seems like jealousy to me."
Kassius opened his mouth, looking at her languid smile.
He wanted to say no, but the words wouldn't come out.
Like a mute who had eaten honey.
The castle was being rebuilt at a rapid pace.
Thanks to Solein's support, all the village men were rushing to help with the work, and with the Hiloshine residents returning, the pace was picking up.
Renisha watched the process with a smile.
"I heard the women of the territory are out with hoes and baskets, digging for black snake scales. The amount is increasing by the day, and they say this amount will be enough to craft knights' weapons and armor."
Renisha nodded slowly at Lindy's report.
"That mineral will need a new name, I suppose. We can't call it Black Snake Scale forever, and there's no need to let the outside world know about the Black Snake's existence. Mithril. How about Mithril?"
"I think it's a suitable name, Madam. It's easy to say, and it doesn't seem to have any connection to snakes."
“Good. Then spread this story around. And are you keeping a close eye on Henry?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Nothing unusual?”
“Yes. There were no major issues other than doing what needed to be done. There was no contact with the outside world.”
“Hmm.”
When Laxus sent Henry, it was likely for surveillance purposes.
For Renisha, Henry was a necessary evil.
She needed someone to act as the castle’s butler, and she had to accept him to avoid Laxus’s suspicions.
But at the same time, he was also an element of anxiety.
Even if Henry had made a secret pact with Renisha, she must not forget that Laxus was his master.
Henry could easily tell Laxus everything if necessary.
“Laxus is quiet, too. I don’t know what he’s up to.”
Renisha muttered.
Turiel had also been quiet since Canary’s letter.
Turiel seemed intent on using Canary as her pawn, but that was something she could leave to Turiel.
“Should I assign more people to Henry?”
“Good. We must be especially careful in times like these.”
Having confirmed that the Hiloshine people were returning to their original positions, Renisha moved on to the next step.
She activated the forge and had them craft weapons and armor there.
In addition to the knights Kassius had brought, she began training Hiloshine applicants as knights.
The young men repaired the castle morning and afternoon, while the few applicants trained at night.
It was no easy task to train ordinary people to become knights in such a short period of time.
However, these people were born and raised in Hiloshine. They had been fed abundantly by the Black Serpent’s energy.
Kassius had said that thanks to this, they were achieving quickly.
“...By next spring at the latest.”
Perhaps then, Renisha would achieve her goal. News from the capital city snapped Renisha out of her trance.
She understood why Laxus hadn’t contacted Henry.
He had sent someone himself.
***
All the village children gathered.
It was to observe the new guests from the castle.
Isabella joined them, tiptoeing.
After sharing her true feelings, children her age began hanging out with her.
Today, she'd been wandering around town, pretending to be a grown-up, offering to help out, and when she heard that guests from the castle were coming, she came running.
Isabella pulled her hat down tightly.
The maids had put it on her to keep her face from getting sunburned, but she hadn't imagined it would be so helpful.
The overalls she'd been given to make it easy for her to move around with the children also helped conceal her identity.
The nobles wouldn't have imagined a noble lady like this.
Isabella checked the location of the knights watching her.
If anything happened, they would get her out of here.
Her little heart pounded at the mention of guests from the castle.
The giant horse pushed its way through the gathered children.
It was a long procession.
"What? Who did the castle send? Do you understand, Isabella?"
Isabella shook her head.
"I didn't get a good look at his face."
"I did. You mean the man standing right in front? He was really handsome! As handsome as His Excellency the Duke!"
"That's not true. The Duke is really, really handsome? You don't find faces that handsome anywhere. My mother was like that."
Isabella's shoulders rose a hand's length at the children's innocent praise.
"And so is Lady Renisha. I thought an angel had come when I first saw her, didn't shr?"
"Yes, yes."
As Isabella listened intently to their stories, shrugging, the knights protecting Isabella appeared and said to her,
"Lady, I think we should go back."
"Huh? What happened?"
Isabella asked the knight with a surprised look.
By now, she was used to the knights jokingly praising the young lady.
"Lady Renisha is looking for you."
"...What happened..."
Isabella repeated her question, unanswered.
The knight smiled as if nothing had happened.
"Don't worry, Isabella. Nothing will happen."
The knight pressed the top of Isabella's hat.
Compared to before, she looked much more girlish now.
The knight bent down to meet Isabella's eye level.
“I’ll protect you, so don’t worry about anything. Understand, my lady?”
Isabella nodded.
***
Lindy breathed a sigh of relief after confirming Isabella’s safe return. The Emperor had sent messengers from the castle.
There could be a spy among them.
The Prince of Shamdir had said he would visit Hiloshine on his way back to say goodbye, and the Emperor had sent Count Calliot.
They were all friendly to Renisha, but it would be better to prevent any trouble before it arose.
“My lady, it would be best for you to return to your room now.”
“Yes.”
Isabella nodded without saying anything.
Renisha’s decisions were always for Isabella’s sake.
There was no doubt about it.
Lindy felt relieved only after personally placing Isabella in the arms of her nanny. He even closed Isabella’s room himself.
When Lindy returned to Renisha, she was greeting guests with Kassius.
“Are you finally returning to Shamdir?”
“Yes, Lady Renisha.”
Meteo politely kissed the back of Renisha’s hand.
Kassius’s eyebrows twitched at that moment.
He grabbed Renisha’s shoulder, forcing her back, and cleared his throat.
“Thank you for stopping by. This is my first time at Hiloshine, so I understand there may be some shortcomings. When do you plan on leaving?”
“The journey here was quite arduous. I plan to return after recovering from the travel fatigue for a while.”
Meteo and Kassius’s eyes met.
Meteo had given off a somewhat meaningful air when they had met privately the day before.
Kassius nodded slowly.
Clearly, Meteo would not return until he had revealed the secret he was keeping.
Kassius glanced at Renisha.
Renisha’s expression was unchanged. He didn’t particularly like Meteo’s presence near Renisha.
Meteo was a young Prince, renowned for his resourcefulness.
Moreover, he had been openly showing favor towards Renisha.
And Kassius disliked the way Meteo looked at her.
“Then get over your travel fatigue first. I will prepare dinner for you tonight. As you can see, the castle is in this state, so it may be lacking as the Duke said.”
“It’s alright. I was in such a hurry that I couldn’t even contact you. Just offering me a place to sleep would be fine.”
Renisha nodded.
While Lindy selected good rooms and assigned them to the guests, Renisha met with Count Calliot.
Kassius was with them.
Count Calliot glanced around the enclosed drawing room, his face a little relieved.
The wary man was checking the surroundings for any spies.
“How did this happen?”
“It is as I told you. Prince Meteo has expressed his intention to visit Hiloshine, and the Emperor has appointed me to guard him.”
Renisha was lost in thought for a moment.
Those brought by Count Calliot were those he had personally raised.
Furthermore, the number of knights was relatively small, considering the large number of people guarding him.
"Do you know why Prince Meteo came here?"
Judging by Calliot's reaction, Meteo's purpose for visiting seemed to be not a bad one.
Renisha felt a sense of relief involuntarily.
"...It would be better if you heard and saw for yourself."
"I see."
“There’s a message from the Emperor. Would you like to hear it?”
Renisha frowned.
“What?”
“...He said you could come and stay in the Imperial Palace if you wish.”
“What?”
Renisha chuckled.
She knew Laxus was crazy, but she didn’t know it would be this bad.
“What’s the Emperor thinking right now? He keeps postponing the wedding. Canary has already been crowned Empress, and it’s humiliating that they can’t even have a wedding. But the Emperor doesn’t seem to care much about that.”
“Nonsense.”
Kassius cut her off coldly.
Their gazes turned to Kassius.
Kassius, who was sitting beside Renisha with his arms crossed, gritted his teeth.
“Renisha isn’t going anywhere.”
“Kassius.”
Renisha’s voice had a hint of laughter.
“Nowhere, without me.”
Renisha placed a hand on Kassius’s firm arm.
A faint flash of anger turned to Renisha.
“Right, Renisha?”
“Of course, Kassius. I won’t go anywhere without you.”
Renisha patted Kassius’s arm.
Count Calliot watched him with a strange expression.
It suddenly occurred to him that Renisha and Kassius were surprisingly well-matched.
Moreover, they looked like a normal couple. He thought they were just politically entangled...
“...The Emperor must have ulterior motives. He’s not showing Renisha any unnecessary favors. That’s what I’m worried about.”
“I know what you mean.”
Renisha smiled faintly.
Then, in a voice only Kassius could hear, she whispered,
“You’re jealous. I know that, Kassius.”
Kassius froze.
Jealous?
Jealous of Laxus? Me?
“Me, me?”
Renisha whispered again to the stammering Kassius.
"Then? It seems like jealousy to me."
Kassius opened his mouth, looking at her languid smile.
He wanted to say no, but the words wouldn't come out.
Like a mute who had eaten honey.
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