The day after the comprehensive school building of Memoria was completed, we received a notification and headed to Amagi Castle.
It seems Maruca, my sister-in-law, went into labor late at night and gave birth to a healthy baby girl.
Although it was a few days later than scheduled, Lucas and Lyra informed us that both mother and child were healthy, bringing us great relief.
“So this little one is your and Maruca’s child? She’s adorable.”
“Indeed. Her name is Regina.”
Regina Reina Amister.
It’s a lovely name. My brother Rest, now a father, seems delighted as he cradles Regina.
“Does that mean my child will be the same age as her?”
“Considering the annual curriculum of the comprehensive school, yes, that will be the case.”
My sister, currently six months pregnant, is due to give birth shortly after the new year.
Although her child will technically be younger, the comprehensive school starts in April and ends its academic year in March. Therefore, they will be considered the same age.
Initially, the plan was to start in January and end in December, but that time of year is deep winter, and in some regions, snow makes travel difficult. Thus, it was postponed to spring.
It will align with the same schedule as Lord Yamato and Mako’s country, but it was not a deliberate choice. Given the heavy snowfall in Amister, opening the school in January might result in few students; starting in April, when the snow has melted and the weather is warmer, seems to be the best option.
Incidentally, my pregnant sister is seated on a large sofa that can accommodate her lying down, and Lord Yamato is moving the entire sofa using his Telekinetic Magic. This is to ensure she doesn’t overexert herself by walking around, which could be detrimental to her unborn child.
“So, does that mean both Princess Regina and Prince Lessheit will be enrolled?”
“That’s the plan. The Royal Family, or rather, the Celestial Emperor’s Family now. Before registering with the Guild, members of the Celestial Emperor’s Family are supposed to apprentice with a high-ranking Guild Register. It’s quite a task as they have to find and persuade them themselves.”
“I can imagine that’s difficult, but isn’t it also difficult for the person being asked?”
Indeed, as Lord Yamato said, it’s difficult for both parties.
When my father registered as a Crafter, he requested information on all Crafters in Amister, chose Master Richard from the list, and traveled all the way to Feel to ask for apprenticeship.
As expected from a request from the Crown Prince, Master Richard didn’t outright refuse, but he wasn’t entirely welcoming at first. Master Richard was active in Feel then and still is now. One of the conditions for my father’s apprenticeship was that he also spend time in Feel. However, my grandfather, Kaito, who was the King at the time, was hesitant. It was understandable, as the Crown Prince leaving Float could cause various issues.
There was a suggestion to invite Master Richard to Float, but Master Richard adamantly refused. In the end, my grandfather relented, but with the condition that my father return to Float for half the month. My father accepted this, and Master Richard was eventually persuaded, allowing him to become his disciple.
My brother, too, had gathered information on Hunters before registering, which is how he met Maruca. This left him with no choice but Trial Hearts. Initially, Trial Hearts was reluctant to have the Crown Prince as a ward, and Bout treated my brother as a scoundrel trying to get close to his sister. It seems my brother had a harder time after registration.
However, after earning their trust, their relationship with Maruca is now blessed, and they even introduced him to Holy Grave for my sister.
“Come to think of it, I do remember hearing something like that.”
“Right. So, you didn’t want to put Prince Lessheit and Princess Regina through so much trouble, since you had to gather information yourselves?”
“It’s a good learning experience for negotiation, and if we just call it experience, it ends there. It could also interfere with Guild activities. Furthermore, I believe it’s important to grow alongside one’s schoolmates. As descendants of the Celestial Emperor’s Family, we probably can’t have truly equal friends, but having close companions is always beneficial.”
Certainly, being of the Celestial Emperor’s Family makes it difficult to form truly equal friendships. However, friends are important, and sometimes one’s future spouse can be found among them. Regina, being a princess, might not be a marriage partner, but she will need someone to have children. Well, she’s just been born, so perhaps we don’t need to worry about that yet.
“Ah, that’s true. Then perhaps Mana’s child should do the same?”
“It would be beneficial for building connections, so that’s probably for the best.”
As Prim, my elder sister, says, interacting with many people will undoubtedly be beneficial for making connections. My sister’s unborn child is destined to become the next Grand Celestial Noble of Lapislazurite. Although they are a newly established noble family with succession rights to the Celestial Emperor’s throne, connections made in a school environment will only be advantageous, not detrimental.
“As nobles, the mere thought of it sounds troublesome.”
“I understand how you feel, but there’s no other way.”
It is indeed troublesome, but I believe it is necessary for the healthy and peaceful lives of the children to come. So please give up, Lord Yamato and my brother.
Side: Yamato
Princess Maruca, being in her postpartum state, returned to her private room with the newborn Princess Regina. Ah, Princess Regina is a girl from Ardili. Even as a newborn, she had fluffy squirrel ears and a squirrel tail, which was incredibly cute.
I brought a gift of monster materials, including five rolls of Light Silk Cloth and five rolls of Royal Silk Cloth, as a congratulatory gift. However, I feel like it’s becoming a bit predictable. Other guests have already widely introduced baby items, leaving me with no room to contribute. The baby crib where Princess Regina is sleeping was handmade by Lord Aiver. I hope they’ll forgive me for offering a rare material.
“Speaking of which, have Princess Regina’s elemental magic and divine lineage magic been identified yet?”
I casually ask the question that suddenly popped into my mind. People of the Helios Orb, as proof of the blessings from the gods upon their birth, receive one elemental magic and one divine lineage magic. This is also true for guests who have transmigrated from other worlds. However, if the parents do not worship the gods, the child will not receive divine lineage magic and may even have it revoked. This is particularly evident among the former Solemne people, many of whom have had their divine lineage magic revoked, and most children born in the last 30 years have not received it. There are rare cases where individuals with deep faith receive it postnatally, and some former outcasts fall into this category.
Since Princess Regina is the daughter of His Majesty Reinhardt and Princess Maruca, it is impossible for her not to receive divine lineage magic. Therefore, I believe she received it along with her elemental magic. However, she is still a newborn, and the Supplication Magic “Staring” requires the user to activate it themselves. I believe we’ll have to rely on a Priest to confirm it.
“It is customary to confirm this along with a blessing at the Priests’ Guild when celebrating a child’s first birthday. So, it will be known then. In Regina’s case, the Grand Priests Master will visit the castle on her first birthday to bestow blessings.”
Is that a custom? It does make sense, as taking a newborn infant out is risky in many ways. So, does that mean the child born recently to Fiana and her siblings, Carol’s brother, and Mana’s unborn child also cannot be confirmed until they are one year old?
“By the way, Yamato, I heard there’s talk of building a branch residence for the Fleidranthia Heavenly Noble House or the Lapislazurite Heavenly Noble House in Float. Have the locations been decided?”
“Yes, they have. For now, we’ll start with the branch residence of the Fleidranthia Heavenly Noble House.”
Princess Elice asks about the residences planned for Float. Float is the capital of the Celestial Empire and the center of the Philia Continent. Therefore, nobles from Amister naturally build branch residences there. They use them less than a quarter of the year, so they are not as large as their main residences in their territories, but rather like elaborate mansions.
The Fleidranthia Heavenly Noble House, the Lapislazurite Heavenly Noble House, and the Esmeralda Tenchaku Family also need to build branch residences. However, they won’t be fully utilized until their unborn children inherit their noble titles, so there’s no urgent need. Still, they must be built. Therefore, the first will be the Fleidranthia Heavenly Noble House, to facilitate transfer to Alka, followed by the Lapislazurite Heavenly Noble House. The Esmeralda Tenchaku Residence will be last. Currently, the focus is on developing the Esmeralda Baronetcy, so funds should be directed there.
“That might be for the best. Considering land prices, building a residence, even a branch one, in Float can cost at least 30 Divine Gold Coins.”
Indeed, as Princess Elice mentioned, the planned site for the Fleidranthia Heavenly Noble House branch residence is in the center of Float, and the land alone cost 12 Divine Gold Coins. Furthermore, considering the building materials, many are High Class and Ancient Class, with some Element Class. The wood is cherry tree, the metal material is Lapis Laz, and the stone is top-grade jade from a labyrinth. Jade can be found above ground, but labyrinth jade has a Magic Strength of 6, Hardness of 6, and Magic Conductivity of 7, outperforming even Magic Silver. Although it’s hard, being a stone and heavier than Adamantine Steel, it’s not suitable for arms and armor. Because of this, the estimated minimum cost alone is 32 Divine Gold Coins. This is nearly double the 17 Divine Gold Coins, including land, for the Esmeralda Tenchaku Family main residence built in Feel.
The public funds for a Celestial Noble are 100 million El, which is 100 Divine Gold Coins. However, since I and Mana do not own territories, we receive half, only 50 Divine Gold Coins. Building a residence alone will consume most of it. However, thanks to our numerous hunts, we have earned a great deal, and I can cover such expenses with my personal assets alone.
“Since you’re reducing public funds, I thought building a residence would be further down the line. But if you’re earning that much, then a residence or two should be no problem.”
“I felt it was a bit much to just hoard it all, so in a way, it’s helpful.”
Surprisingly, the Priests’ Guild is the one issuing currency in the Helios Orb. Normally, a country issues currency, but in the case of the Helios Orb, it is considered to be from the gods, and the Priests’ Guild acts as their agent.
Incidentally, I’ve heard that high-ranking Unions tend to spend lavishly on equipment, Union Houses, furnishings, Beast Carriages, luxury goods, clothing, meals, and even donations to orphanages and the Priests’ Guild. However, with the advent of Alloy and high-grade Monster materials for equipment, and Multi-functional Beast Carriages becoming more common, the opportunities to spend on these items are decreasing.
Because of this, many high-ranking Unions have accumulated considerable wealth. Even though the Priests’ Guild issues the currency, there’s a limit to how much can be issued per coin. If high-ranking Unions hoard money, it can lead to a currency shortage and economic stagnation. Therefore, a certain amount of spending is necessary, but it seems difficult to achieve at present.
We can allocate funds to build residences and branch residences for the Heavenly Noble Houses for now, but once that’s settled, we’ll likely just keep accumulating money. We really need to think carefully about what to do. However, if we casually agree to anything, it will only cause problems, which is a dilemma.
I wonder if there’s a good solution…
